Atonement
by Mechanical Infection
Summary: After Loki's latest scheme to slay his brother fails due to a change of heart all who he involved in his scheme set out to seek vengeance against him and Thor. Loki and Thor alongside the rest of The Avengers must set things right before Earth is destroyed. Along the way Loki and Thor patch things up. Better summary and warnings inside.
1. Chapter 1

_Just to clear any confusion this takes place a year after the event of "The Avengers" film but it also draws in elements from several related comics and "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" such as characters and some minor events and/or references._

**Plot Summary:**  
Upon returning to Asgard to face his punishment, incarceration until the All-Father sees otherwise, Loki conjures up his latest scheme to slay his brother involving, tricking and betraying along the way several dangerous foes.

As he is close to his goals a change of heart from his part destroys his plans and while recuperating from severe injuries in Tony's California mansion Loki begins to gain their trust and they gain his. In doing so Loki and Thor begin anew as friends, teammates and brothers.

When Loki's temporary allies learn he has used and betrayed them they seek vengeance in the form of Loki's bloodied corpse or the Earth will be destroyed.

**Warning: **  
This story will contain violence, strong language, triggering situations (self-harm and suicide attempts) and torture.

**NO PAIRINGS!**

**Chapter 1: **

Imprisoned. Imprisoned until a proper punishment for all the bloodshed, havoc and villainy he committed would be seen as justified. When he stood before his peers and beside his brother all he did was glare. He never once let a word slip through his lips to either defend or damn himself. He merely stood in a calm silence. That was all the surface of his being told all else. What they failed to see was the hatred boiling inside which he ever so calmly hid. His mind was chaos and uncharacteristic, never focusing on one subject alone. Thoughts of revenge, murder, hate and not necessarily towards others raced through his mind. The occasional wandering thought of what kind of punishment he would have to endure sparked but for mere seconds. As youths he and his "so called" brother endured punishments for misdeeds and disobedience but it never prolonged the actual stated sentence and as furious as the All-Father was his declared punishments were watered down simply because they were his children.

There was also a distraction that burned him whenever he heard it. The word "son" was spat out and it was not towards the man next to him who refused to leave his side for reasons beyond his comprehension. He failed to understand why he was still referred to as "son" even after All-Father confessed. It plagued and burned him. He wanted nothing with these people.

All-Father's voice shook the halls, his facial expressions shifting, his right hand firmly holding Grungnir as he pointed it at him. Around the All-Father and surrounding the great golden hall was a sea of people looking at him; faces expressing utter disappointment, others not looking as surprised as if they had expected this from him. He was used to all looking down at him in such a manner yet even he had to admit it pained him. He snapped his gaze away as bitter childhood memories began to crawl in his mind and rather than look weak he preferred to glare and install fear in others. He finally laid eyes on his brother whose tremendous frame seemed somewhat smaller due to his skulking as if he was the one All-father was addressing. His eyes gazing the floor as his head dropped. A great and powerful man reduced to a small child being scolded.

At some point his adoptive father's words, the murmuring from all others and his adoptive mother's weeping all seemed to blur into an unintelligible echo. Accusation after accusation was mounted and he shrugged them off as if he had merely stolen a trinket until All-Father approached him and ever so gently placed his enormous hand on his cheek and in a soft spoken manner delivered his final accusation.

"Needless bloodshed of the innocent is a crime, my son, and you have shed plenty. You also transpired to shed your own. A most foul and unspeakable crime and for attempting to end your own life you will be punished." Loki could feel as Thor shifted beside him as All-Father laid down his last accusation, a tiny gasp was heard and Loki looked up to see his mother covering her mouth while her wide eyed face became pale at the sudden revelation of this last accusation. It was clear to him that his "death" had been altered to protect her from the real details and to this he felt a sense of shame and guilt if only slightly and briefly.

The royal guards removed him from the hall and as he spun he could see Thor slightly shaking his head and Odin leaning his frame on the golden spear and lowering his head. Was it shame? Was it disappointment? He cared not.

Loki spent the better part of his nights and days sitting on the floor of his cell leaning against the farthest wall. He had picked a corner underneath the wide window, which he found was a cruel joke. To lay eyes on the world before him yet was not able to touch or participate in it. It was also a laughable fact that he knew for certain he had been placed in the biggest cell they had, with an actual bed and not a stack of hay and the wall had a wide enough window to look outside but not big enough for anyone to slither through. Of course it would have been foolish to think the glass door would be so easily broken. Even in prison royalty was treated as royalty.

After the first seventy-three hours of incarceration he grew tired of looking at the same guards who so loyally kept a close watch on Loki as if All-Father knew he would attempt something. Oh, how well he knew of his mischievous son.

Surprisingly enough he heard heavy footsteps quickly making their way towards his cell and even before he saw the person in question he already knew who it was.

"Leave us!" Those were the only words that echoed that hall ever since he came to the cell. The guards obeyed without question and the mighty Thor stood in front of the door, heaving and heavy breathes escaping his nose. A perplexed look was present upon his face as he stared down at Loki.

"Something…plagues you, dear brother?"

Thor inhaled and in a quick motion opened the glass door and entered stopping in the middle of the cell. All was quiet between the two brothers save for the sound of the metal door closing behind Thor. After what seemed like an eternity Thor finally spoke up. It was, Loki guessed, due to his oafish brother trying to gather his thoughts and organizing what Loki referred to as his "small" brain.

"Why? Do you not realize the pain, the suffering you caused when you—"

"Your mortals are safe as can be and I am sure they are rebuilding even as we speak, they have nothing to fear from the big, bad wolf as he now sits before _you_ in a cell." Loki said in a dry tone as he pointed at Thor.

Thor took a step forward, a pained look on his face. "I speak not of the mortals! I speak of Father, Mother and I!" His voice bellowed and even shook Loki. "How could—how could you dare think to have loosened your grip on…Father's spear…"

"Why would you do that to us? Why would you think that was the absolute answer?" Thor was now pacing from side to side, moving his arms and flailing them as if trying desperately to show his brother how distraught he was about the subject. Loki on the other hand remained still safe for his eyes which traced every single movement Thor made.

Loki finally spoke up, "Spare me the theatrics, Thor. It is not as if you or any of them really would have noticed my absence—"

"We did, Loki, we noticed and we felt it!" Thor's voice trembled as he looked into his brother's green eyes, searching for something. The gaze was broken when Loki closed his eyes, scuffed and looked away. "Please…" Loki hissed under his breath. He had to admit that the last thing he remembered and heard before being consumed by the darkness was Thor screaming and a look of terror plastered over his face. He also remembered Odin's indifferent expression, maybe slightly pained but otherwise indifferent. As if he merely lost a pet. Remembering only brought about a feeling he wished to bury as he did with every feeling of that nature and shrouded it with hate.

"I could believe such behavior from you and from Mother but as I fell I distinctly remember you trying to reach out to try and catch me but all Father did was stare. You looked horrified; I had never seen such a look wash over your face, but Father? Oh, the same cold, distant stare he always bestowed upon me."

Thor stopped moving, tracing back, as far back, as he could to remember the interactions between them and he not once found such a gaze settled upon Loki. In his mind he and Loki were treated evenly. They were certainly different in certain fields but none of it struck Thor as something to cause their father to treat Loki with less affection and love. He bent over, grabbed his brother by the shoulders and lifted him up to look him straight in the eyes. In a soft spoken tone Thor said, "No lies, no tricks from you, only the truth, as painful as it may feel, search back. What happened to make you feel this way?"

Loki narrowed his eyes, a frown upon his face, an almost feral snarl escaping his throat. Signs Thor knew very well and knew to avoid lest he becomes a target but today he had other concerns in his mind and would risk injury just to understand why his brother was plagued by such ill thoughts.

"You look me in the eyes and tell me I was not mocked for not being as strong as you, as gifted in the art of war as you, for not handling a battle ax as well as you. Tell me I was not the subject of jokes after I left the training grounds due to getting beaten down by someone bigger than me or failing to grip a weapon that was too heavy for me. For having to sort to different, less valued methods to learn how to fight. When I took up sorcery instead of a blade did you all not mock and stare and point? You all judged me! Why can you not just admit it?"

Thor looked puzzled, as he remembered it was all fun and games at the expense of all not just Loki. Even Thor was mocked once or twice after succumbing to Lady Sif's sword. Volstagg is often ridiculed for his weight and Hogun was often pointed out for his supposed inability to smile. The Warriors Three were often times called out for boasting and exacerbating situations others knew were not true. This puzzled Thor. At some point they all met with the bitter end of a joke at their expense from stories of either training or some failed adventure that proved far too great for them.

"Brother, I—" Loki could see Thor's eyes searching, they were confused but they were searching and desperately. "Brother, we have all been the center of some sort of joke. It stings the pride at the moment but no one would have done so out of ill will. Why does this vex you so?"

Loki chuckled slightly, not surprised his less intelligent older brother did not understand his point. The sheer insult of having to explain everything in minute simple details was sickening. He never cared for jokes at the expense of his older brother and he had voiced his opinion on the matter. He had hoped Thor would have done the same for him but when his back was turned as he walked out of the training grounds the sound of laughter lashed at him like whips on bare flesh but the one that burned the most were those of his brother.

"Of course I should not have been surprised that you would not have understood how that affected me." Loki whispered and for just a moment Thor caught a glimpse of sadness in his little brother's eyes. His reaction was the same he had always had when trying to comfort his little brother; Thor extended both arms to hug Loki. He could not find the correct words to ease his obvious pain but he could offer the warmth of a hug as he always did. As Thor closed in Loki pushed him back.

"Get…out…" Shaking breaths escaped Loki. Thor, as stubborn as he was, took two steps closer to his brother and before he could take another step Loki raised his right arm and extended his index finger which was glowing in a green aura. His chest expanding as he engulfed deep breathes, eyes narrowed and feral and planted on Thor.

"Get out or burn where you stand."

"You would not—"

Loki interrupted in a snarling voice slowly approaching Thor and in doing so pushing him back towards the glass door, "Have you not heard, mighty Thor? I ended the lives of innocents and even more disturbingly I was capable of attempting to end my own. What makes you think I will not end yours?"

"Loki…"

"GET OOOOUUUUUUUT!" Loki screamed at the top of his lungs as he pinned his brother against the door and in a swift motion planted both fisted hands on either side of Thor's head hitting the glass door and surely injuring his hands.

Thor received the message. He waited for Loki to take a few steps back and as soon as he did Thor opened the door. After it closed Thor placed a hand on the glass as if trying to touch him, he gave Loki a saddened gaze and slowly walked away. After he walked away Loki approached the door to make sure Thor left; he had indeed as the guards returned. As they took their places to stand watch Loki planted the top of his head gently on the glass and closed his eyes and slowly dropped to his knees. One arm wrapped around his waist and the other gently placed where Thor had placed his hand as if trying to touch him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:  
**I will be updating new chapters every **Friday** and **Monday** as long as chapters are ready and available. And just to clear any confusion this takes place a year after the event of "The Avengers" but it also draws in elements from several related comics and "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" such as characters and some minor events and/or references.

**Chapter 2:**

"Banner, next time you decide that picking up a pickup truck and hurling it at the enemy is a good idea. Just sit in a corner and really, I mean _really_ think about it." Tony slowly walked across the room while slowly pushing his lower back with his two hands forward. As he reached a chair he pushed as much as he could and let out a long and loud groan as his back cracked. Barton and Pym groaned while wincing as they heard the cracking sound.

A sheepish Banner stood at the door and in a low voice said, "I could take a look if you want." He rubbed his temple and while looking sideways he added, "Gosh, I'm sorry, Tony."

"Eh, that's all right. Any excuse to get a massage from a pretty, soft on the eyes, hands softer than cotton little lady is fine by me."

Having not heard the entire conversation Pym jumped in and innocently said, "I could give you a massage, Tony. I'm actually pretty good at those. Just ask Jan."

"What part of 'pretty, soft on the eyes, hands softer than cotton little lady' did you not understand? Are you secretly one of those? Because that would be fantastic to watch when Jan comes over."

"Oh…" Pym lowered his gaze and backed down as he shoved Barton slightly for chuckling. Banner had left the room to clean up and find a change of clothes. Tony sat behind the bar, one of a few he had around the mansion, he poured himself some whiskey and before taking his first gulp he looked at the rest of the group and said, "Who was that ax wielding nutcase, anyways? Looked like something straight out of 'Dungeons & Dragons'."

Tony took a good helping of the whiskey and before swallowing Thor let his enormous hand fall on Tony's shoulders causing further pain and causing Tony to slightly shriek. "That was Skurge the Executioner. He is a henchman of Amora the Enchantress. What business did he have here in Midgard I know not but certainly he does not hail from these dungeons with dragons."

"No, big guy, it was a joke." Barton interrupted. The group often forgets Thor is not from around and he will seldom ever understand a pun, a reference or most, if not all, jokes thrown about. Thor looked at Barton as if understanding but he did not get the reference. He knew he was not used to all of the particular jokes they so casually tossed around but he regarded these situations as a learning experience.

After an hour of random conversations and swapping stories each headed to his or her own bedrooms to rest for the night. The Executioner did put up a good enough fight to have had them worn out. Settled in comfortable attire Thor laid in the bed Barton and Banner insisted was a bit small for his frame but Thor was not bothered by it. Tonight his mind drifted off, occupied with worry about how his brother was, where he was, what kind of punishment All-Father bestowed upon him, if he was well or ill, if thoughts of perishing had left him. Some nights he could still see how his brother fell into the abyss and with the image came the question of why anyone would resort to those actions. Sure Loki was alive but it did not take away the fact that he had attempted against his own life and in front of Thor's very eyes.

Surely and steadily Thor drifted off to sleep.

Not all were resting well that night. Skurge returned to Asgard beaten and humiliated and even worse was the fact that he still had to answer to Amora for failing. As he walked the lonely dirt roads of the kingdom he suddenly became aware he was being watched. His goal was to retrieve to a place to find drink and ease the humiliation of having been beaten by Thor, some mortals and what he perceived to be a giant green ogre with a nastier temperament than a troll. His turned his gaze about and saw a figure cloaked in a large black robe and a hood covering the person's face. Both figures stared down at each other and for a moment Skurge slowly reached to his ax but the figure raised a palm in a stopping motion.

"You need not feel threatened. I mean to simply converse." A soft male voice escaped the hooded figure. Skurge crossed his arms and said, "And of what shall we be conversing of?"

"You return tonight from Midgard, do you not? It would appear that your actions were not fruitful. You are angry and humiliated and do not look forward to addressing whoever sent you."

Skurge's gaze turned to a surprised look. This individual was well informed and it would either bring him fortune or demise. He decided listening further might determine which.

"Is your idea of conversing merely to point out the obvious or is there some benefit to me standing here and listening to you instead of crushing your skull?"

"Ah, directly to the point it is then. How would you like to possess Thor's mightiest weapon and at the very same time destroy him and his mortal team of Avengers?"

Skurge the Executioner smiled, "I like the sound of that proposition."

The exact same, predictable routine took place at the start of the rising of the sun. The heavy footsteps, the guards awaiting orders outside of the hall while All-Father entered the hall and stood before the only cell housing a prisoner. Usually every morning would start with questions, lectures and they were boring him. Today was different. Today Odin stood in front of the glass door and stared at his youngest son as if waiting for him to speak. Loki never even bothered to sit up or momentarily look up from his bed. He merely let out a heavy sigh.

A good twenty minutes passed before Odin conceded and turned to leave but before doing so Loki finally spoke up as he sat up and looked at his father's face with an empty look and a dry tone, "I can only fathom how much you regret ever having picked up a runt that was left to die. Look at all the trouble it brought you." Odin turned about and entered the cell and approached Loki.

"I do _not_ regret it, Loki! I raised you as my own, your mother, your brother and I all love-"

"Love? How quaint yet it must taste awful on your tongue, Father, to say you ever felt such a thing for me. After all, was I not just another trinket for you to use for your politics? Now that I have failed to be of use to unite the two kingdoms, a task that ironically both Thor and I thwarted, have I outlived my purpose? Will you leave me here to rot or will I have to spare the All-Father of the task of ridding his kingdom of a plague and just…", the following words came out with a small shake but not small enough to have escaped Odin's attention. "Vanquish it myself."

Odin's fury had toppled, as the last words his youngest spoke entered his ears and registered Odin's only reaction was to swiftly land his massive right palm upon his son's cheek, he had let out more power than he had intended for when Loki straightened himself out a small trickle of blood escape the corner of his mouth. Odin felt himself shiver, he had never struck either of his children but the threat, which was clearly a threat, Loki expressed upon his life was much to bear.

Loki slowly blinked and as he narrowed his eyes he gathered the blood in his mouth and spit at the All-Father's feet. A gesture he never had done before but he had to admit he picked up from Thor and it felt good. Odin never removed his gaze from Loki's eyes; he pointed at him with his index finger and calmly said, "You will never utter words such as those ever again. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Father."

Karnilla was seldom hostess to Asgardians in her kingdom, much less a son of Odin. When she was informed Thor had requested an audience with her she was taken aback but did not refuse him. She awaited his arrival atop her throne while guards crowded the area. The Norn queen and Asgardians did have their share of bitter fighting but she was not about to reignite problems of old but she was no fool either. Thor's presence was indeed odd.

The tall, wide Asgardian made his way into the throne room. Brilliantly blue eyes shining as golden strands of hair swished sideways with every step, facial hair of equal color housing a warm smile. Once in the center Thor placed Mjolnir beside his feet and bowed slightly out of respect.

"Thor Odinson. What brings you to my kingdom?" Asked the Norn queen as she acknowledged the bow.

"My queen I come to you with a request. I find myself in the middle of a most difficult journey in Midgard and I have come across rumors that you may possess an item that may aid me."

"Oh? And what item may that be, Odinson?"

"A small chest containing a Hel crystal."

The Norn queen tensed her shoulders and made a hand motion to her captain of the royal guards indicating for them to remove themselves from her company. As the last guard left, Karnilla turned to Thor and walked up to him. She lowered her voice to a whisper.

"How have you come to possess such knowledge?" There was a scent of fear in her breath and Thor caught on to it.

"Barely anything escapes my brother's attention, especially if it pertains to magic and sorcery."

"Ah, Loki." The Norn queen's stance softened but not by much. She was relaxed merely due to the fact that she knew he was currently held captive. "How is your brother? Is he well?"

"I regret to inform you he is not, my queen. He is…sinking in despair…" Thor lowered his gaze and Karnilla noticed his breathing to shake in a subtle way. She placed a gentle hand on his left shoulder and said, "I am sorry. I meant not to cause unease. Your brother is strong and he has you to look forward to after he is released. All the nine realms know you care deeply for him. Love him; be strong for him once he is able to stand on his own. He will need you."

"Yes…"

"As per your request I am afraid I will have to decline. I cannot risk having Hela realize it was I who stole them from her." Karnilla returned to her throne and sat down as she looked upon a confused Thor.

Thor approached the queen with both hands hanging beside him. "If the crystal was truly stolen, for whichever reason you had to do so, it is of no concern to me."

"I do not question your honor, Odinson. I believe you would use the crystal and return it to me without informing Hela. While this is true I cannot risk this chest and its contents being exposed to those who would benefit using it against me."

Thor's eyes wandered, he needed the crystal. His mission would have been over before it would have started if he could not return to Midgard without it. He thought back and closed his eyes for a moment. He stood straight as he placed a serious gaze upon the Norn queen.

"My queen, my brother and I are not alone in the knowledge of your possession of the Hel crystal. Two other beings have come to know who the current master of said crystal is."

Worry washed over the queen's face. Her eyes widened as the words Thor spoke registered and in a panicked whisper said, "Who? I demand to know, Odinson!"

"Amora the Enchantress and Skurge the Executioner. If I am permitted to hold the crystal for my current mission, I will make it a personal errand to bring these two villains before you."

Karnilla froze in her throne, she had tried to be so careful about the crystals and up to that moment she believed she was the only one who knew about them. Surely Thor spoke true words, barely anything got by unnoticed by Loki since he saw everything as an opportunity, this did not surprise her. However, the thought of Amora and her lackey Skurge coming across this knowledge was unsettling not to mention that part of her doubted Thor's claim. She could have been easily manipulated because of the fear of getting caught with the crystals and feared even more Hela's actions. She let out a sigh and approached Thor.

"It would seem we have an accord, Odinson." Her words were a delicate whisper, mostly out of fear of being heard by anyone else. "You say the crystals are needed for a mission in Midgard, use them, but in return I want Amora and Skurge in my court."

The Norn queen waved her right hand above her left hand and before Thor's eyes a small golden chest solidified. The queen stretched out her hand as she welcomed Thor to the contents inside the chest. Thor opened the chest and four shimmering crystals lay inside. He was surprised, he had thought it was only one crystal Karnilla had but right before him were four of them. Thor gave it no further thought and grabbed one of them; he kept it in the middle of his palm and noticed a small tingling sensation waving across his hand which spread slowly throughout the rest of his body. He clinched his palm into a fist and looked at the Norn queen, a look of gratitude expelling his eyes.

"My queen I thank thee."

"Be warned, Odinson." Karnilla said as she turned around and sat back on her throne. "For the crystal to have an effect it needs to remain on you before, during and sometime after a fatal blow. Otherwise it will _not_ work and you _will_ perish."

Skurge eagerly awaited his mysterious ally in the exact spot he had seen him about three weeks ago. He was not completely confident about how this individual was going to help him exact revenge but if it worked he would not only defeat his enemies but at the same time gain a powerful weapon. He hoped. He remembered the verbal lashings Amora laid on him when he returned beaten and unsuccessful and this was something he was not prepared to do twice. As he remembered he gripped his ax's handle tightly but soon found himself gasping in fright when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He spun around quickly, too quickly and swiftly for someone his build and size, only to be met with the hooded individual.

"Tense, are we not?"

Skurge let out a frustrated sigh and sheathed his ax. "You are late."

"My sincerest apologies, I had a difficult time approaching this location. Are you prepared?"

"Very. A thought has been troubling me. Why do you aide me in this? What have you to gain?"

"Because as of this very moment you and I have a common enemy and I would give three kingdoms in exchange of knowing the mighty Thor has fallen. I know my limits and for me to directly take on the thunderer and his merry band of fools would be suicidal. You need not worry; I shall provide aid from the shadows. You will certainly not be out there on your own."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

When Tony Stark set out to do something he was one to complete it even if it meant giving up an entire night to do so, of course this also meant that he would spend the better part of the day sleeping and ignoring the rest of the world. About two days ago he and Hulk encountered a very armored robot sent by AIM. Banner did not want to admit it but having been tossed around like a ragdoll was sufficient enough to render him tired. The profanity, the scandal of the thought of the great Hulk getting beaten to the point where he was physically tired was enough to make him turn again and go on a rampage and fight the US army and SHIELD just to prove he was more than capable of dishing out damage and taking plenty without so much as sweating.

Tony was angry as well; his suit had been completely trashed in the process. As he feverishly worked he had his battered suit in front of him as a reminder to complete this newest installation to the Iron Man suit. He wanted a beam with enough kick to topple the world's largest skyscraper with a single blow. He spent two entire days on it and was more than determined to use it on the next biggest threat.

All the while the rest of the group knew it was not a good idea to bother him. Thankfully during the last two days only mild attacks on the city got their attention. Even if it were a huge threat Tony would still wait until this new weapon was complete. The thought of being tossed aside like a doll and the battered suit which looked like it had been hit by a meteor drove him, not to mention he was not particularly fond of not winning.

As he installed the new addition the door opened and Clint walked in. He saw Tony still about and wondered how long he had been up. "Please don't tell me you have been up for two days straight working on that thing."

"Yeap."

"You haven't slept at all?"

"During a delicate process last night I think I started to doze off and fell face first into my desk. I think I slept an hour and it completely threw me off track!"

"Wow." Was the only word Clint could get out. He rubbed the back of his neck and examined Tony as he placed the weapon and clicked away at a laptop that was attached to the new suit via cable.

"So I guess all that's left is to test this guy out then."

"Nope, it's perfect as it is." Tony said as he still clicked away at keys while simultaneously switching his eyes from the laptop to the suit.

"Wait, wait, Tony, I think you should test it out first. If this is as powerful as you say it is I think it'd be a good idea to test it. Being a genius doesn't mean you won't make mistakes."

Tony paused and glared at Clint, his eyes as tired as they were and begging for sleep also begged for vengeance. His eyes met Clint's and as if telling him to look he moved his eyes to the battered suit and said, "Look at that thing. Next time AIM or AOL or whoever else decides that one of these is not enough we _will_ be overpowered. I admit that even with Hulk it would prove a bit much for him."

"Look, Tony, I know you're angry-"

"I'm very freaking pissed off. Now, if you have no further objections, _Mother_, I need to finish this in case someone decides that taking out Vegas is the newest summer pass time."

There was no point in arguing with him but Clint still felt that something that was "capable of toppling even the world's biggest skyscraper with a single blow" should be tested out first. He was not alone in that thought for Banner had voiced a similar concern. Sadly there was no time to try and change Stark's mind for Jarvis intervened.

"Sir, I'm afraid I have some bad news. It seems Vegas is under attack."

Both men quickly looked at each other and while raising an eyebrow Clint said, "Why couldn't you say it was going to rain super models?"

Skurge quickly made his way through the busy streets of Vegas, swinging his ax at everything that moved and did not move as well. He had already completely trashed about sixty cars, ten cop cars and one ambulance. He was messy, loud and definitely trying to get someone's undivided attention. He made his way past Cesar's Palace and came across a group of people that were cowering from him, he slowly made his way towards them but before he could even lift his ax three cops yelled for him to drop his weapon and stand away from the citizens. A grave mistake on their part.

Skurge lunged towards the cops and as if a bull were charging he sent the cops flying. One of them landed on a car, another landed through a window of a shop and the third one, a young rooky cop, landed in the middle of the street. Skurge picked up his ax and as he laid eyes on the man he lifted his ax as high as he could and before planting it down on the cop's skull Skurge was sent flying from a tackle from Iron Man.

"Unless you want to end up paste for this guy's meal I suggest you go away. Far away." Tony said as he reached out a hand so the cop could get back up and run before Skurge could do so as well. The cop got back on his feet and ran the opposite direction passing by Hulk, Hawkeye and Thor. A sight that would normally render him speechless and quite possibly jumping and giggling like a little girl but the instinct to survive drove him.

"Boy, this guy doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Iron Man said in a snarky tone.

"Hmm, sound familiar?" Hawkeye said as he pulled back on an arrow and carefully aimed it at Skurge clearly mocking Iron Man for his stubbornness. All Iron Man did was chuckle and both lunged towards the raging Asgardian as he ran towards the Avengers. With the swing of his ax he sent Iron Man and Hawkeye flying. Skurge smirked but it was not to last. A loud guttural roar escaped the Hulk's throat and the familiar sound of crackling lightning emitted from Thor's hammer. Both charged as fast as they could but somehow just a single swing from Skurge's ax sent both of them back. Iron Man helped Thor back on his feet and said, "Something's not right. That ax of his has more kick in it than last time. He's tossing us around like pebbles."

"It would appear to be so."

"I don't like it." Iron Man said as he put more power into the thrusters in his feet and flew directly at Skurge. Skurge stood his ground and at the very last and right moment swung his ax down on the charging Iron Man and as soon as he hit the ground Skurge lifted his right leg and with the entire weight of his body he stomped on Iron Man's head rendering him somewhere between dazed and unconscious. The fact that he was tired and had not slept for two days was not helping him at all.

The rest of the team charged as they saw Iron Man lying still and Skurge making his way towards them. Hulk jumped high up and while clenching both fists landed on Skurge. A cloud of dust and dirt and some concrete kicked up and as soon as it cleared they saw Hulk's fists had stopped as soon as Skurge held the ax sideways to prevent Hulk for reaching him. With his feet Skurge managed to push the Hulk back far enough to allow him to stand on his feet again and with a powerful swing sent the Hulk flying.

Unfortunately the Hulk flew towards Hawkeye and Thor. Hawkeye managed to quickly move out of the way but Thor had not been quick enough. Hulk's flying massive body hit Thor and now both were sent flying.

About fifty feet away Hulk landed on the concrete floor and on Thor as well. Hulk roared and in one bounce rushed back into the action. However, thanks to the initial blow and having been crushed underneath the Hulk Thor had the wind and Mjolnir knocked out of him. A few people stared but soon found themselves to be screaming and running away.

Thor blinked slowly. His vision was impaired due to dust and the sun staring down at him not to mention a figure standing before him. A far smaller frame than the one he was currently under or the one he was fighting. A figure dressed in black clothing with hints of green, pale skin and piercing angry green eyes. Long black hair and a black coat swiftly swinging through the air and ever so conveniently a silver metal spear in the figure's right hand, the sharp end slowly moving to Thor's face.

Thor gathered himself and blinked faster to focus his eye sight to see who was hovering in front of him. As his vision focused his eyes went wide and his pupils shrunk as he laid eyes on the figure before him.

"Hello…brother…"

"L…Loki?"

"Hmm." Was the only sound Loki made as he stared at Thor. He partially turned to where the Avengers and Skurge were fighting and with his left hand waved while whispering, "Your task is done." Suddenly Skurge gasped as he felt that extra power and strength leave his body and at an inconvenient time as well. Hulk was charging right at him with clenched fists and a roar that escaped clenched teeth.

Loki then turned his full attention to Thor who still stared at him with a confused gaze. He made a motion to stand but Loki planted a foot on his throat and slowly shook his head. He proceeded to sit on him, his knees barely able to touch the ground, and grabbed the metal spear with both hands and raised it as high as he could. Thor was now beginning to understand where this situation was going and it was definitely not good. As Loki lifted his arms Thor stretched his right arm out to summon Mjolnir, hopefully in time to stop the blow.

As he breathed in Loki quickly lowered the spear and aimed it right at Thor's chest certain that it would kill him and even if he was to be caught he would have finally done what he had wanted to do for what felt like a very long time now. Both Mjolnir and the spear drew closer, almost reaching their targets, close to impact.

"Stoooooooooooooooooooooooooop!"

A shuddering gasp exhaled from Loki. Had that scream only been in his head or had he really screamed "stop" loud enough to have almost screeched in his throat? He was not sure. He opened his eyes and saw the spear on Thor's chest, it had pierced the surface of the flesh and drew some blood but it was more of a flesh wound and he could swear he saw a frightened glance in his older brother's eyes. Loki turned to his side and saw Mjolnir in Thor's hand and his hand partially raised but now frozen.

Loki dropped the spear and as it hit the ground he let his hands fall to his side and just gazed at Thor. A cold chill crept up Thor's spine as he felt his brother's body trembling almost violently. Loki was trembling and sharp gasps were coming from him as if he could barely breathe. Thor put the hammer down but before he could say anything he heard a chirping click. A familiar sound and as he turned to look to his side Iron Man, Hawkeye and Hulk were standing near aiming beams, arrows and fists at Loki.

"Get up. Slowly, basket case." Iron Man said in a taunting tone as he aimed his hand at Loki who was still just blankly gazing at Thor and gasping for air.

"Wait! Please, wait!" Thor pleaded as he then turned his attention to Loki and grabbed his shoulders. In turn Loki looked at the small bloodied wound and placed a hand on it. He lifted his hand to see his bloody fingers and dropped his hand to his side and continued to stare at Thor. Loki was still trembling and it kept getting worse to the point that his lower jaw was clicking and Thor could hear his teeth clicking against each other. It certainly was not due to cold weather for it was summer and they were in Vegas which was practically a desert.

"I can't…I can't…I can't…" Between each gasp that was all Loki said still staring blankly right into Thor's eyes, Thor staring back with worry. The rest of the team was just as confused but even more so than Thor.

"Loki, please, say something." Thor pleaded but he went unanswered.

Unfortunately the situation between the brothers distracted everyone long enough for Skurge to gather his senses who all this time had been rendered unconscious due to well placed hits now that his ax lacked the extra power it had gotten from Loki. Skurge grabbed his weapon and saw Loki and the gears in his head twirled and he finally came to the realization that Loki only used him as bait to further his scheme to kill his brother. Fury engulfed him as he gripped the handle of his ax and ran towards the group.

He snuck up on Iron Man who was still aiming his right palm at Loki. He hit Iron Man with enough force to rock him out of rhythm and unfortunately caused the suit to turn on the new beam he had installed just that very morning. The same beam Clint and Banner told him to test. The white beam fired in Loki's direction and as if on automatic Loki raised his hand to repel the beam but it still hit him and managed to knock him several feet from Thor who screamed.

"Shit!" Iron Man ran towards the brothers as Hulk and Hawkeye tried to subdue Skurge. Thor reached Loki who was on his back with both hands on his side and was squirming. Thor placed one hand gently on Loki's cheek and with the other grabbed his injured arm. Thor could still feel him shacking.

Thor was talking but everything was garbled. Loki tried focusing on his brother but something did not feel right. He lifted his left hand so he could see and saw his hand was shattered. There was blood and a gash separating his pinky and ring finger from his middle finger. A gash that was splitting his hand in half. Blood dripped and he could see bone, torn and burned flesh, Thor hovering above him holding his injured hand.

He felt he was still shacking and gasping louder and he could see Thor with a panicking look wash over him. He was unsure of what was really happening but he was certain Thor was unharmed. Loki instinctively placed his uninjured hand on the warrior's cheek as if reassuring him it was all going to be all right.

A roaring scream could be heard as Skurge leapt into the air, ax in both hands and aiming it for Thor's back and in what was known as an adrenaline rush Loki shoved his brother to the side with all his strength but as he tried to move to do the same he failed to do so in time. The last thing Loki could recall was an immense amount of pain coming from his left shoulder and left hand. Practically his entire left side. Loki also recalled hearing Thor screaming in a way he had never heard him scream before and suddenly it all turned black and silent.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

It had been three days since the incident at Vegas and for three days Loki had been kept in a chemically induced coma in the basement of Stark's mansion. Thor fought the notion but he was outvoted by the rest of the team.

"_Just be glad I didn't turn him in!"_ Was the final word in the argument before Tony stormed out of the basement, which barely looked like one, it was a pretty sterile basement where Tony kept and organized past projects and some other trinkets he had not finished for various reasons. Of course, due to the current circumstances he had everything in the basement moved to Stark Tower. As soon as the team had walked in Steve objected to having what he called "a dangerous maniacal villain bent on blowing them all up" dragged into their living quarters. After almost two hours of arguing, hurtful words were exchanged, mainly between Thor and Tony, they came to the conclusion that it was best if they just looked after Loki only until he was recovered and after that he would be returned to Asgard to continue his sentence. They sincerely wanted no part of SHIELD involved.

Tony had one of the beds from one of the guest rooms brought down to the basement while Banner and Pym were sent to gather the necessary equipment to treat the wounds. _"Nothing fancy. This asshole is not a friend and we don't owe him anything. Just tape him up and let him recover."_ Those were Tony's very words but somehow part of the group sensed he was contradicting himself. Why would Tony bother bringing in a villain who had just attempted to murder Thor in cold blood to his mansion? Why even bother nursing him back to health?

That very night Tony drank himself into a drunken stupor and disappeared into his room for the rest of the night. The rest of the team carried on, mostly calmly due to the fact that Loki had been chemically induced into a coma so there was no chance of him suddenly waking up and going on a rampage and they were all well aware of the fact that Thor had no idea how to awaken his brother. Thor remained at his side for three days barely leaving the basement.

"Why do think Tony brought him back here? I can understand Thor demanding it, I mean; it _is_ his brother after all." Jan said as she sipped some orange juice. Her, Hank, Bruce and Clint were in the huge kitchen mostly just sitting idly by. Thor had refused to leave his brother's side and Tony was still skulking around his room, quite possibly indulging in insane amounts of alcohol to lower his obvious stress and anger.

"I think…and this is by far the wildest thing that has crossed my mind, that Tony felt guilty." Hank said almost unsure.

"Guilty? Tony Stark feeling guilty? Are you nuts?" Clint immediately intervened clearly not seeing eye to eye with Hank's opinion.

"Think about it; look at his behavior ever since they came back from Vegas not to mention that both you and Bruce warned him to test the beam before taking it out on the field. He didn't test it and it malfunctioned and not to mention severely injured Thor's brother. Well, he couldn't possibly care for Thor's brother but it could have just as easily been one of us or if he had been pushed in a different angle he could have hit Thor or a civilian. Let's just all be grateful it was just him and he managed to survive otherwise we'd all be neck deep in god of thunder fury. Besides, even if his brother hadn't survived Tony is not a murderer. He knows it was just dumb luck this situation didn't escalade to apocalyptic proportions."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Still, Tony was taking it rather harshly and even if he would not openly admit it he was feeling guilty. Somewhere around 10:00 and 10:30 at night Tony got out of his bed and walked down to the basement, unsure of what he was to say if he found Thor there. When he reached the basement he could clearly see through the glass wall Thor was indeed sitting next to his brother. He swallowed hard, breathed in and sighed as he punched in the code to enter.

As the door hissed open Thor looked in the direction and closed his eyes and placed his sight back on his sleeping brother. Tony slowly began to walk towards the bed. He looked at Loki and then up at Thor who looked more upset than angry which to Tony was a bit of relief. An awkward silence fell between the two; it was so tense you could practically cut it with a knife.

"I don't blame you for what happened, Tony." Thor finally said ending the awkward silence. He looked up at Tony and a small smile appeared on his face and even if it helped the tense situation it was still a sad smile and Tony felt no better.

"I am so sorry, Thor, I should have tested the beam. Clint and Bruce were right. I let my anger blind me."

Blinding anger. That was something Thor could easily identify with since he himself had a very short temper and was prone to act upon it. He did mean what he said; he was not blaming Tony for all that happened and he certainly was not going to hold a grudge against his friend. Thor gently rose from the bed and walked up to Tony and gently hugged him and in turn Tony returned the hug.

"I want to thank you for looking after him and not just turning him over to SHIELD." Thor said with a bigger smile on his face and no tension.

"It was the least I could do. Besides, if he's a huge asshole," Tony said as he pointed to Loki. "Those guys are even bigger assholes. At least your brother has the courtesy to just go ahead and be straight forward with what he wants but with SHIELD you never know what _is_ happening or _will_ happen."

"I agree."

"Listen, T'Challa sent me a package, it should arrive tomorrow. As soon as it gets here I will wake your brother up. We need to take some more x-rays anyways."

"Why is the arrival of the package so important?" Thor asked genuinely curious.

"Do you remember a while back that you let T'Challa study your "magic"?" Thor nodded obviously remembering and finding it amusing that Tony was still keen on not seeing magic as a logical explanation for certain phenomena.

"Well, baby brother over yonder is, said by you, to be the most powerful sorcerer in all "the nine realms" and even if he is physically unable to kick our asses he can "Harry Potter" us into fine dust without so much as even blinking. So, T'Challa was kind enough to bring us something of a chip to restrain him."

Thor kind of flinched at the word "restrain" but he had to admit that letting Loki loose and about without some control over his movements was a very bad idea indeed.

"Oh and I'm also fixing the door with a code so only _we_ can open the door on either side. For the love of all the good in this world, do _not_ give him the code. He'll be fine down here, good temperature, comfortable bed, full working bathroom complete with a shower over in that corner and yes, we will feed him. It'll be like having a puppy. A very maniacal, rabid, crazy puppy and you can come down here and play with him."

Thor chuckled at the comparison and made his way back to the bed to keep an eye on his brother but Tony held him back by one arm and said, "You've barely eaten or slept well in three days. Go upstairs and get something to eat, shower and rest. I'll keep an eye on him for you. Trust me, I won't harm him. Though I may just end up putting his hand in warm water so he can pee himself."

Thor burst out laughing, it was common knowledge that everyone in the mansion was prone to pulling pranks on each other and one of the earlier pranks done to Thor was having his hand placed in a bucket of warm water while he was asleep only to awaken to a soaked bed and sheets and a room full of giggling superheroes. It was harmless.

Thor placed a hand on one of Tony's shoulders in agreement and returned to the mansion's upper levels. He was indeed very hungry and very much in need of a shower not to mention sleep. He was sure to sleep well that night and was sure Tony would keep his promise of watching his brother for him.

As Thor left Tony turned around and looked at Loki. It was odd to see him just sleeping so calmly. He had not interacted with him much safe for that one time but it was odd to see him not screaming, hitting people, killing people or summoning aliens to take over the world. Tony shrugged and sat on the floor, it was cold but not so much that he could not bear it, besides, he preferred enduring the cold floor because he was not going to sit on the same bed that Loki was sleeping in.

He looked up and saw the mangled left hand crudely wrapped in bandages and a spark of guilt he tried so hard to suppress washed over him. He remembered telling Bruce and Hank to get some medical supplies from the medical room to bandage him up. Hank suggested a cast due to the severity of the hand's condition but in his anger Tony refused to give Loki actual and proper care. His hand was not going to heal properly, not with how it was currently bandaged. He figured that after the results of the x-rays he would actually and properly tend to the wounds and place an actual cast. Tony was also concerned with the broken clavicle. Skurge's ax drove deep into Loki's shoulder and split the left side of the clavicle in half. His shoulder was also crudely bandaged but Tony would see to fixing it tomorrow.

A loud and alarming scream escaped Loki's mouth as he quickly sat up. His eyes were wide, pupils diluted and a cold sweat dampened his face and neck. He saw people in front of him and as sudden as he opened his eyes he closed them as he groaned loudly and with his right hand he grabbed his head and clenched his fingers around his hair. He could hear people talking but he could not really make heads or tails of anything being said, everything sounded like an echo that was too far away to properly understand, he could barely see as well, everything was blurry. He saw oddly shaped shades of colors blurring in front of him and suddenly a very bright light in front of his eyes.

"He's a little dizzy but that's common. Uh, Jan, hand me two of the migraine pills and that cup of water." Hank said as he lifted a small flashlight to Loki's eyes checking his pupils.

"What's his name?"

"Loki." Thor corrected.

"Loki, can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?" Hank asked as he held three fingers near Loki's face but he was still unable to focus much less clearly see. Loki blinked a few times and gave out a soft groan as he closed his eyes and literally fell forward but Hank caught him and placed him back on the bed.

About an hour later Jan waved a smelling salt right under Loki's nose and after some twitching he finally fluttered his eyelids and slowly opened his eyes. He came to and saw Thor on his right side and several people he did not know surrounding him. He looked around and noticed he was in a bed in some strange place. He felt worry rising in the back of his head but did not ask, he could only really focus on the headache he had. It was immense and it felt as if someone had stuck a blade into his skull and left it there.

Loki tried to move but he seemed to have a rather difficult time getting any sort of reaction from his left arm so he turned to look and saw some bandages on his left arm. He tried moving his arm but it was not responding, in fact, he was sure he could not even feel it. Hank loomed in over him and in both hands held what looked to be small cups.

"I suggest you take these because the headache you have, which I can only imagine is pretty bad, won't go away on its own."

Loki stared at the man in silence as if studying his face searching to see if he was in danger or actually being helped. The headache was unlike anything he had ever felt before but he was not about to ingest anything he did not know. After several minutes he looked at the cups and then back up at Hank and slightly shook his head denying the pills. Hank lowered the cups but Thor grabbed the one containing the pills and looked down at Loki with a concerned look on his face.

"You _have_ to take this. It will ease some of the pain."

"Thor, he's not a child, if he doesn't want to he doesn't need to take them." A soft female voice protested behind Thor and Loki tried to locate the source but the muscular giant in front of him blocked his view.

"Jan, the headache from a chemical coma is not anything to be taken lightly." Hank said as he grabbed the cups and set them on the small table beside the bed. "Anyways, Loki, you're going to need to stand and walk some distance. We need to check how your hand and shoulder are doing. Think you can stand up?"

Without hesitating Loki shifted his legs under the cover and while supporting his weight with his right hand the cover slid off his chest and he saw he was not dressed in his usual garments. He had on what mortals would wear, a plain black t-shirt that was a bit big for his frame and some dark gray track pants and on his feet a pair of white socks. He lifted an eyebrow as he carefully examined everything and his eyes widened at the sudden realization that he had not changed himself and that someone else had done so. He choked back a stutter and a burning sensation invaded his cheeks as he looked at the group and then grabbed the shirt and slightly pulled on it to examine the fabric.

Steve got the message of what was going through his head and with an uncomfortable smile he said, "Well, we weren't going to leave you in those bloody tattered clothes, you know. Just because we don't see eye to eye it doesn't mean we're going to treat you like an animal." Loki looked at Steve as he spoke, still silent but his eyes were practically screaming in what seemed to be embarrassment. Steve's smile diminished and he placed a hand behind his head trying to think of something to say. Unfortunately Jan and Clint were not exactly the type to carefully choose their words and as far as Clint was concerned he was still owed some form of revenge for having been brain washed by Loki.

"Oh, come on, man. They had to clean the wounds somehow. Besides, don't worry. Thor, Hank and Banner were the ones that changed you out of your clothes. And Banner took back what he said, you ain't puny."

As if it were not possible enough to have widened his eyes more Loki did and after some chuckling Jan planted an elbow right into Clint's ribs. Loki narrowed his eyes and remembered he had been told he needed to walk somewhere so he stood up and took one step only to wobble and fall over. Thor and Steve rushed over to pick him up and the most cynical smile washed over Clint's face and with that he turned around and headed to the elevator to open it. Thor whispered something in Loki's ear and the group followed them to the elevator except for Jan and Steve who remained behind. After the elevator doors clicked and they were sure they were alone Steve turned his gaze to Jan who grabbed a box and walked to the bathroom. She turned on the lights and began to dig out some things out of the box, bottle of shampoo, soap, toothbrush, tooth paste, two towels and other common house hold items found in bathrooms.

"Do you think this is safe?" She said as she tidied up the bathroom that had been clearly not used in what she could guess was months. "You know, nursing a supervillian god back to health."

"I don't know how to answer that. Can I be honest with you?" The look of conflict within Steve's face garnered Jan's full attention. She nodded and waited for what was troubling Steve. "Don't tell anyone, especially Thor. I have this almost sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach like, something's not right. You know, with him."

"…I'm not sure I'm following you…" Jan confessed.

"About two nights ago Bruce was down here checking on Loki. When he approached him Thor made a motion to remain quiet and pointed at him. Loki was groaning and squirming around as if he was having a nightmare. He was even sobbing, for God's sake. He kept repeating the same words over and over again, 'Thor cannot know about me or he will kill me.'"

"What do you think it means? Has Thor mentioned anything?"

"No. No, he just closed his eyes and wiped the tears from Loki's eyes. He looked a little hurt too; at least that's what Bruce said. Not to mention that very night Tony said he was confused as to why Loki pushed Thor out of the way when he saw Skurge was going to maim Thor. If I remember correctly Loki vowed to kill Thor. I thought he was up to something but Clint asked Thor the same thing and Thor said that even at his most depraved Loki would never endanger himself. He would have rather lost than to so much as get a scratch."

Jan and Steve remained silent. The words tossed themselves around Jan's head and even as he repeated them Steve also analyzed the last three days. He was not sure how he felt, on one hand he remembered all the chaos Loki had created about a year ago and now he saw as Banner contemplated the circumstances of how Loki came to be in their basement. Steve was not what you would call a pessimist but even he had to admit he was guilty of thinking maybe Loki had intentionally gotten himself injured just to get close to Thor. Close enough to maybe come through with the promise of slaying his own brother.

"Whatever's goin' on with him, at least I'm grateful that he saved Thor's life." Jan said as she smiled at Steve, most likely to ease his restless mind. They carried on with the given chores. Jan fixed the bathroom and Steve changed the bed sheets. He figured they were due to be thrown away because there was dry blood on it and as much as he or anyone would try the dry blood was not going to come out.

"Tsk, well, your hand is healing, slowly but your shoulder will take longer. Much longer." Tony informed as he placed the x-ray sheets above their heads and against the ceiling light. Loki looked at the sheet and then back at Tony. He had never seen an x-ray before but he was well aware of what it was. He saw the broken clavicle and the shattered hand and thought how easy it would have been to just use his magic to cure it almost instantly and as if Tony was reading his mind he looked at the man as he listened.

"Now, Thor tells me that you can use magic and healing this would be a piece of cake for you but I regret to inform you that you're hocus pocus will remain disabled to protect us." Tony walked over and grabbed Loki's right hand, at any other time this would have gotten Loki extremely uncomfortable. The only person he ever allowed to touch him was Thor and Thor alone. Tony moved his hand to the back of his neck and Loki could feel a cold metallic item attached to his skin. His eyes narrowed, not in a hostile manner but in a confused way. He looked at Thor who lowered his gaze almost in shame and then sighed as he closed his eyes.

_i"I wouldn't trust myself either."/i_ Loki thought as he felt the metal object.

"Technically speaking your magic is not disabled. You can still access it. Hell, you could even turn me into a ferret or Thor into a frog but that little party favor on your neck will register the energy and it will send two hundred million volts of electricity through your body and in case you're thinking 'consequences be damned' that's enough to knock you out unconscious. Or make your heart explode. Not sure which would come first. Messing with it will also trigger the device to go off." Tony walked to the other table and Bruce approached him with some scissors to cut away the bandages. They figured a cast could help with the hand but the shoulder did not require any surgery and honestly speaking none of them, safe for Thor, was about to rush to a hospital to treat a supervillian.

Bruce unwrapped Loki's hand and as he laid eyes on it he quietly gasped at the sight of it. His hand was partially deformed, some of it was burned and the bruising took most of his hand. Loki could swear it was a darker shade of blue and it rattled him and made him sick in his stomach. Tony looked at Loki and lowered his gaze, a clear sign of guilt.

Bruce proceeded to place the cast on Loki but for a brief few minutes he needed Loki to try and lift his arm. He warned him it was going to hurt but Hank suggested some acetaminophen but again Loki refused shaking his head slowly. Thor tried to convince him but it was no use.

Loki slowly raised his arm but as he did so he felt an insane amount of sharp pain shooting across his shoulder and back. He began to breathe rapidly and in a ragged fashion indicating he was clearly in pain. Loki grabbed his shirt and bit down on it and squinted his eyes and groaned very loudly. Bruce tried to go as fast as he could but he also wanted the cast to be placed on well. After what seemed like an eternity Bruce then lowered his arm but the sharp burning pain was still present.

Tony came back with a small bottle that rattled when he moved it in front of Loki. He looked at the bottle and then up at Tony to see what he had to say about that item in particular. Bruce continued to work on the cast and Thor came closer to hear what Tony was going to say.

"All right, junior, these are acetaminophen pills. They will make the pain go away but you can only take _one_ every twelve hours. No more than that or else you risk overdosing and that could pretty much get you higher than a kite. Thor, make sure he takes them. This will help numb the pain. If going by Thor and a serious injury of his can heal in half the time I would take to heal you should be fully recovered in a little under a month."

Loki nodded silently still refusing to talk. He grabbed the pills from Tony and as he did they brushed their fingers together and Tony felt Loki's hand shaking. Tony looked at him with confusion. In a surprising move Tony placed his palm over Loki's forehead to check for something. He was not burning with a fever and he did not feel cold. Tony blinked a few times and turned to Clint to most likely give him some orders. Tony sported a serious look on his face and as he spoke Clint rolled his eyes in an obvious display of annoyance. Finally, Clint gave in and with a puff turned on his heels and walked away glaring at Loki.

Bruce finally finished the cast and replacing the bandages on Loki's shoulder and while throwing away the old bloodied ones he said in a gentle tone, "Don't get the cast wet at all. When you go to sleep just try your best not to move around a lot. We'll remove the cast as soon as your hand is healed. Okay?"

Loki again nodded silently and followed Thor as he escorted him back to the basement. Bruce continued to clean up and as the door closed behind Hank Tony turned to Bruce and asked what he was hoping Tony did not notice.

"When did he start shaking?" Tony asked as he looked at the closed door.

"The minute he walked in."

"You think it was because of the pain?"

Bruce was slowly calculating his words trying his best to choose the correct thing to say but the circumstances they all found themselves in were anything but common. Eventually he sighed as he stood up and looked at Tony, a clear look of concern in his eyes. "Thor told me that when he was being pinned down by Loki back in Vegas he froze after attempting to kill him and after he froze he was shaking violently as if he was nervous or fighting something internal. Pain? Yes. Physical? No."

"I sent Clint to get some tranquilizers. I'm not sure I want to find out how this guy reacts after a meltdown." Tony said as he sighed and continued to look at the closed door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

It would have been so easy to sneak in and just kill him. All he would have to do would be to stick to the shadows and stalk the corners and hug the wall. He did not even have to make it messy or noisy even if he wanted to. Even if it meant getting caught but he still was so tempted. The electronic pad did not keep a record of who went in or out and at what time. It was just far too easy.

Unfortunately, killing him would mean bringing down the wrath of Thor and the rest of the Avengers upon him and Clint knew it would be a fight he was not going to win. He lay in his bed staring at the ceiling contemplating the many ways he could easily kill Loki, he could stage it as a suicide. After all, had he not tried it before? Maybe this time he did it without failing.

Clint let out a frustrated sigh and turned to the window, his cell phone catching the moonlight that poured in. He was also tempted to make a phone call. A phone call Tony was dead set on not making. He figured Tony had every reason not to want to involve them but a part of him thought they were all getting fooled by a pair of sad puppy dog eyes and one act of selflessness. As far as he was concerned Loki was playing them all. Again. Unfortunately none of them would dare do anything, even if Thor was an Avenger he was far stronger than all put together, with the exception of Hulk of course. If he wanted to let himself be fooled that was his problem and his alone. Clint was surely not about to let himself get tricked again and even at the risk of getting kicked out of the team or even evoking the wrath of Thor he was going to keep a very close watch on Loki.

That one phone call was very tempting indeed.

When morning came it found Loki just sitting up on the bed staring blankly at the elevator door half expecting Fury or even All-father to walk through and imprison him, this time locking him away in some discarded dungeon or some sort of prison where not even Thor could reach him.

"_Not like he would care. Why should he?"_

The question felt bitter and held some truth, at least to Loki it did. Many times he felt the urge to just sit with him and talk, just talk about the concerns he had regarding their status, which to Loki was fragile at best. He was always good with words and was always good at expressing them yet for that one subject he was still unsure how to even get one word out.

He slightly rubbed his injured shoulder, the pain was driving him mad but he was not about to take any medication to soothe the pain. He looked at the bottle of pills and sighed. Why did he refuse to take the medication? He himself was unsure but a thought constantly crept into his mind. A cold creeping thought that he thought was accurate but he denied ever thinking it himself.

"_You don't deserve the help. It's too late for you. They might as well—"_

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the elevator doors opening and closing a few seconds later. A short woman approached him with a tray holding a bowl, a cup and what looked like grapes in a smaller bowl. Her blue eyes bounced cheerily as her short brown hair did when she took a step. He found this creature amusing.

"_How could anyone portray such a sincere smile so early in the morning?" _Was what he thought as soon as she walked in and placed the tray on the bed. It was not due to Loki not being a morning person. On the contrary, he would often wake up early in the morning as opposed to Thor who if left to his own desires would most likely never wake up unless food, drink or a battle ax was waved in front of him. She pulled one of the chairs close and sat down near him. Her bright face lit the entire otherwise dark room and as amusing as he found it he was not able to smile back or even say anything or even look her in the eyes.

"So," Jan said as she straightened herself up on the chair, "Thor said you liked this so he and I fixed you up some breakfast."

"_Really now?"_ Loki thought as he rose a brow in question to which Jan caught onto immediately and started to giggle. There was no way Thor could possibly easily walk around a kitchen without setting something on fire or breaking something.

"Okay, okay, it was me but he did tell me what you liked and exactly how. Should get some food in your stomach, those pills are a little strong."

"_Thank you but your hard work will go about with fruitless results."_ Is what Loki thought but he was nodding quietly. He figured he was going to be left to starve, none of these people owed him anything and then there was the fact that about a year ago they were all fighting for Midgard's very survival because of his actions. This was a nice surprise and he had to admit that it smelled great but his stomach was not agreeing with his sense of smell.

The woman remained on the chair watching him intently as if trying to look for something. It was getting uncomfortable and all Loki wanted to do was hide. He hated being watched, mostly it was due to the fact that in his youth he was often looked at in that same manner by those who often judged him and compared him to Thor.

Jan was not judging him, she had heard all about Loki's activities from a year ago and it practically sounded like something any villain would do but the way Thor spoke of him really got to her. The way his eyes would light up at the mere mention of how "great his brother was at sorcery", "how proud he would get whenever it was acknowledged that Loki was the most powerful sorcerer in all the nine realms", "how even when he was not adapt at the training Asgardians were accustomed to he somehow found a way to find something to suit him even when others pushed him in the other direction". She always loved hearing Thor talk about all the misdeeds and adventures they would participate in when they were kids. She got to the point where she thought that even when Loki turned his back on Thor he was still regarded in a loving manner. She called it a form of "puppy love", of course Clint would make rude and derogatory comments about incest and sexual tension to which some giggled, mostly Tony, but some frowned at Clint's comments.

This was making Loki very uncomfortable indeed. He broke the silence by clearing his throat and shifted about under the cover and lowered his gaze. Jan stood up and said, "Well, if you need anything don't hesitate to let us know, okay? There's an intercom by the code pad. Just push the button." As she said that she placed a hand on his right shoulder and immediately lifted her hand when he started to shake. She frowned a little, mostly due to how he was behaving. This was nothing like the man Thor spoke of or the man Tony, Bruce, Clint and Steve spoke about either. This was a scared and lost puppy at best. She sighed a little and gently scratched the back of his head and smiled at him.

"Eat some breakfast." She said in a gentle tone. "Bruce will be down here shortly to check on your hand and your shoulder." With that she smiled again and walked away. She had something in mind but it would have to wait until later. She volunteered to help Tony with some errands and it would most likely take up most of the morning.

A week went by and Loki still refused to take any of the medication, barely slept, hardly ate anything and was still refusing to speak. The group grew accustomed to him not even moving but there was something nagging at the back of Steve's mind and he knew it was also something the rest of the group thought but no one spoke of it. It was clearly present but no one seemed to dare or care enough to actually speak of it.

Every single day Thor would head down to the basement and spent about as much time with Loki as he could. No one else went down there while Thor was there. However, it did not stop Tony and Clint from rewiring the intercom to act as a radio to hear what was going on but most of the time it was Thor just talking and pleading for Loki to talk but it was to no avail. Loki just refused to talk.

When Thor came back from the basement Steve and Bruce looked at each other as if confirming something. They told Tony they were going to check on his shoulder and arm but something odd stuck out about the way they moved and spoke. Tony was tempted to go down to the basement as well but he just carried on with his work on upgrading his suit. Of course it did not stop him from turning on the intercom to listen in.

Steve and Bruce walked into the room. Loki never even bothered to look up; he just sat on the bed, his knees touching his chin and the most pathetically sad look in his eyes. Steve and Bruce grabbed a chair each and sat near Loki who was not reacting or moving at all. Bruce sat up straight and in a gentle tone began to talk.

"I don't know what's going through your mind right now but it's literally freaking us out. Usually you're screaming and yelling and scowling at others. What's wrong?"

Silence.

"That day in Vegas, what happened? We know you froze and couldn't do what you set out to do. Why? What the hell are you up to?"

More silence, not even a glance since Loki closed his eyes and buried his face between his knees and wrapped his right arm around his legs. Bruce backed away and Steve sighed. Had this been anyone else they would have believed this was someone on the verge of an emotional meltdown but this was Loki. The same Loki who a year ago murdered several people and was aiming to take over Earth and was willing to kill anyone who stood in his way. This was also someone who had been named by Asgardians as "the God of lies and trickery". This could all have been a very elaborate act to cover some scheme for all they knew. There was also the possibility that this was not an act, but in fact someone who needed help. Unfortunately for all present this was to never be known for sure.

A whimper escaped Loki's throat and Steve and Bruce both decided that questioning him was not going to get any results. Even if Loki said anything there was still the matter of whether he was telling the truth or not. It was a waste of time.

"This is exactly what we needed! Some cake, some ice cream to make things around here a little bit more cheery! We need more Cheetohs, Tony!" Jan screamed as she swirled around a big piece of cake slopped with ice cream. Tony laughed as he saw her hungrily eating away at the cake. She was right, with the tension of having Loki locked up in the basement and Thor acting like a heartbroken child who lost his favorite pet and Clint furious half the time because the rest of the team decided to take care of someone he absolutely hated it was about time the team got together to loosen up and Steve's birthday was just the excuse they needed to do so.

When Tony returned with the snacks Jan asked for she looked him straight in the eyes and with a smile said, "We could at least bring him a piece of cake. You know, before those two bottomless pits decide to eat the whole thing." Jan said as she pointed behind her and Tony looked to see Thor going for his third piece and Steve trying to steal it from him. He smiled and nodded to which Jan rushed up to the victimized cake and fought Thor and Steve for a piece. She swatted away large arms and hands armed with sporks and plastic plates. Tony laughed and Hank joined in when he saw Jan trying as best as she could to steal away a piece.

When she finally managed to steal away a piece she turned to walk away but Thor pulled her back gently and said, "Thank you for the kindness." A look of appreciation washed over his face when she told him who the extra piece was for. She smiled back and turned to walk only to be stopped by Tony who said, "Ask him if he wants to join us up here. He's pretty much behaved himself. I'm sure a time out is in order."

For some reason that lit up Thor's face even more and Jan smiled wider. Clint was nearby so he heard Tony and glared at him to which Tony shot him a scolding look.

"I'll be back in a minute, guys."

"I'll go with you." Clint said as he followed Jan and Tony shot him a glance that practically told him to behave himself. Clint huffed at Tony as he followed Jan to the elevator. On the ride down neither said anything to each other. Jan wanted to say something but she was sure it would get a reaction from Clint and not necessarily a positive one and they would end up arguing so she thought it best to just stay quiet.

Once at the bottom and the doors opened something seemed wrong. It was only half past eight but the lights in the room were off. Loki usually turned them off around midnight and it was a routine he stuck to for the week he was in there. Jan walked ahead and opened the door. As soon as she walked in she saw the table that was usually at the side of the bed thrown on the ground, the mattress was on the floor and so was the pillow. The bathroom door was open which was odd as well since he always kept it closed. Clint went to the bathroom and found it a mess. Everything that was not glued to the wall or floor had been thrown everywhere; it looked like there had been a struggle. Clint moved to leave the bathroom when he saw a few red specks neatly dotted on the floor. He bent down to get a closer look but seconds later he heard Jan scream, "Loki! Oh, my God, what did you do?"

Clint darted across the room and found Jan hovering over Loki who was on the floor lying on his left side, his eyes were half closed and his breathing was shallow. Clint moved his eyes to Loki's left hand which was covered in blood and cut up. Clint dropped to his knees next to Jan and put two fingers over his neck to check the pulse. It was weak. As he turned to look at Jan he saw a bloody steak knife and the now empty bottle of painkillers Tony had given him.

"Jan, he hasn't taken any of the pills Stark gave him has he?"

"No. He refused to take them. We tried to get him to take them this morning but he refused. Why?"

Clint grabbed the bottle and rattled it in front of Jan. No sound was coming from them indicating it was empty. Jan gasped loudly as she covered her mouth with one hand and kept stroking Loki's hair with the other.

"Go get Stark but for the love of all you hold dear do _not_ let Thor know what happened. Also while you're up there get a big glass of warm water and some oxygen peroxide. We gotta get him to throw up."

"Okay. Don't let him fall asleep!"

Jan ran towards the elevator and as soon as the doors opened she repeatedly pressed the button for the last floor where they were celebrating Steve's birthday. Usually the elevator went up or down fast but in the rush of panic she felt it somehow took longer. When the doors finally opened she bolted out of the elevator but stopped when she saw the group. She tried to calm herself in order not to alarm anyone and searched for Tony. Jan felt the panic building up inside her when she found him talking to Thor, Hank and Steve. She stood a few feet away from Tony and gently waved at him in a notion to get him away from the group.

Tony smiled and excused himself from the group and slowly walked towards Jan, his smile diminished as he got closer and saw water in her eyes and a look of sheer panic. He was now worried and glad he had not told her to come on over. He knew something was wrong and it had something to do with Loki.

"Jan, what happened?" Worry in his breath and tone. He grabbed her shoulders gently to try and calm her down.

"He—he—he…did something…" Jan managed to get that out between hiccupping quiet sobs. It did not matter to her what he had done a year ago, as selfish as it was she figured neither she or Hank had been wronged by him. Jan could not ignore the fact that Thor was alive and well because of him even if the rest of the group forgot about that fact so easily. Tony was startled by her cryptic words and demanded to know exactly what had happened.

"Janet, what did he do? Was it to you? To Clint? Where's Clint?"

"Himself. His hand is all cut up. He took—I need some oxygen peroxide! He took all the pills!" Jan's words were finally making sense though what they were pointing at was something Tony did not expect at all. He told Jan to go to the room where they kept all the medical supplies for the oxygen peroxide and casually walked to the elevator trying his hardest not to grab anyone's attention.

If what he thought Jan was talking about was correct Thor was the last person that needed to see what had happened down there and he certainly did not want to ruin the rest of Steve's birthday. He calmly walked into the elevator and pressed the button and thankfully Thor, Hank, Bruce and Steve were all busy enjoying the evening.

Once at the basement he rushed inside the room were Loki was kept and found Clint sitting in front of Loki. Clint had gotten Loki to sit on one of the chairs while Clint held him up by the right shoulder with one hand and with the other he was practically arguing with someone on his cell phone.

"Lady, I told you I don't know how much he weights! He took an entire bottle of acetaminophen. The bottle had about sixty pills inside, and no, I don't know how long ago he did it." Clint's voice had a particular tone of panic laced in it. It was certainly not out of some sense of care but it was there and Tony actually wondered why. Clint continued to argue with the person on the other line, who was obviously someone from poison control. Tony just stood at the door frozen more curious than anything as to why Clint was reacting the way he was, he only moved when he winced when Clint saw Loki closing his eyes so to wake him up he hit him across the head with the back of his hand. Clint had to admit that felt good but he had other priorities in mind, like keeping Loki alive.

"Hang up the phone." Tony ordered as he walked in. Clint obeyed and snapped his fingers in front of Loki's face to get his attention long enough to keep him awake. Tony examined him briefly and saw he was losing color and suddenly remembered a tell tale sign to know how long ago he took the pills. Tony suddenly grabbed Loki's chin with one hand and with the other actually opened his mouth and slightly tugged at his tongue. Just as he feared his tongue was getting a blue tinge which indicated the pills were running through his system like a wild fire. He figured getting him to throw up would be pointless but he thought it would get rid of anything still sitting in his stomach.

"Let's get him to the bathroom."

Clint and Tony dragged Loki to the bathroom and just as they were carrying him Jan rushed out of the elevator with a big cup of warm water and a bottle of oxygen peroxide. She rushed next to Tony who grabbed the two items and mixed them. He was not sure of the measurements but going by how Loki was wobbling they did not have much time before he was going to pass out.

"Okay, junior, open your mouth. Come on!" Tony said as he held the cup near Loki's lips urging him to drink the water. Loki just groaned and wobbled his head in all directions. Clint was looking at Tony and a sudden spark of anger ignited at how he was sweet talking him into trying to drink the water and it burned even more when he called him "junior" as if he was a friend.

Clint snatched the cup from Tony and with his other hand he pinched Loki's nose closed forcing him to open his mouth to breathe and as soon as he did he tilted Loki's head back and forced the water down his throat. Loki chocked a bit on it but otherwise swallowed most of the water safe for the bit that he spit out.

After a few minutes he began to heave and the people around him gave him a wide enough space. Jan stood next to Loki and rubbed his back, breathing hard and groaning Loki actually leaned forward and a mess of half digested pills and water were expelled from Loki's mouth. It took two minutes for everything in his stomach to be expulsed onto the floor of the bathroom. After that Loki remained in a leaning forward position breathing heavily and shivering. Jan sighed deeply as she kept rubbing his back, Tony finally relaxed and sat down next to Loki, he patted him on the side and then rubbed his head clearly giving away the fact that he had a headache.

"It's not over yet. We're gonna need some activated charcoal. Clint, need you to get some that way it'll get rid of anything left behind."

"All right." Clint said as he looked blankly into space. He got up and walked towards the exit but a hand grabbed his in order to stop him. He looked down and saw it was Loki who had stopped him. A sudden rage boiled from the pit of his stomach and all he wanted to do was snatch his hand back but before he could react or say anything Loki said in a weak and trembling tone, "Don't tell Thor."

"What can you not tell me?"

They all looked to their left, except for Loki, and saw Thor standing a few feet away and looking in, his face was unreadable but Steve, Hank and Bruce were all standing next to Thor and looked very uncomfortable and somewhat confused.

Loki closed his eyes and let go of Clint's hand and as soon as he did Clint walked towards the exit but was stopped by Thor when he grabbed Clint's sleeve and pulled him back. Thor never removed his eyes from Loki and as anger built inside him he tried to suppress it as he quietly asked, "What happened?"

Clint hesitated but deep down he was sure this was something Thor could not afford not to know. He sighed and said, "Your brother mutilated his own hand and took all the pills Stark gave him."

"Clint!" Tony barked but Clint was not going to stick around to be scolded like a child. He kept walking towards the elevators to retrieve the item Tony asked him to get and as soon as he returned with it he was going to just go to his room and sleep. As far as he was concerned Loki ruined an otherwise perfectly calm and happy day.

Thor took a step towards Loki but Bruce and Steve held him back and Tony stood in front of him and said, "Look, Thor, let's just take it easy before you do something you might regret. Yelling or hitting is _not_ going to solve the problem."

Thor looked Tony in the eyes; he was confused as to why he would think he was going to yell much less hit Loki especially when he could see he was hurting. Thor slightly smiled at Tony and placed a hand on his shoulder, he was touched by Tony's concern.

"Thank you for your concern but I merely wish to speak to him."

Tony smiled back at Thor and patted him on the arm. He figured they had a lot of talking ahead of them so he signaled the rest of the group to follow him out but before leaving Loki opened his eyes and looked at the group and said, "Rogers?" Steve turned to him, he had a confused look on his face but he came close to him to hear what he was going to say. Steve squatted down near Loki and listened carefully.

"…I'm sorry..."

Loki did not need to say much more. Steve was aware why he was apologizing and truth be told he was more concerned that Loki even bothered to worry about scaring the team than worrying about his current situation. Steve smiled and gently scratched Loki behind the ear as he quietly said, "Don't worry about it. Day wasn't ruined. Just take care, okay?"

Loki nodded silently and closed his eyes trying his hardest to hold back tears. As Steve rose he actually tousled Loki's hair and added, "See you tomorrow, sport."

"_Sport? Junior? What in Valhalla's name is wrong with these people? I'm at least over two thousand years older than they are."_

Loki only questioned it internally, he was actually embarrassed to admit it but he enjoyed those little nicknames he received from Tony, Jan and now it seemed Steve jumped in and referred to him as "sport". He actually felt his cheeks burn a bit as the words echoed in his head but it was not to last. His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the door close and heard Thor clear his throat loudly. He looked to where his brother stood and knew better than to argue so he slowly walked to the bed which Thor had fixed.

"_Usually I would be the one to stand there with that same look whenever Thor did something wrong."_

He was about to smile but when he looked at his brother's face and how serious he was he stopped the smile before it even began. He sighed and slowly sat down, lowering his gaze and bracing himself for whatever may come.

Thor looked at his brother trying desperately to find the right words, ask the right questions and possibly answer some himself. He sighed as he looked at his little brother's injured hand. Loki on the other hand kept his gaze lowered only because if he looked at his older brother he knew he would cry and he tried ever so desperately not to cry in front of him.

Thor reached down and grabbed a tossed towel, he sniffed it to see if it smelled clean and once he confirmed it was he turned to Loki and gently dabbed it on the hand cleaning away some of the blood still trying to figure out what to say. The silence was unbearable and tense but even though Thor was not a mastermind when it came to words he tried his best and finally spoke.

"Why did you have a change of heart?"

"Who said I did?" Loki's words escaped him without even realizing what he was saying. He bit down on his bottom lip, regretting the words. He had been keeping his defenses on high alert for so long it was almost an automatic reaction. Thor did not react to Loki's words; he simply kept cleaning the wounds and looking at them as if it hurt him instead.

"Yes, you have. I saw it in your eyes in Las Vegas and I've seen it in this last week and I still see it in your eyes right now. You could have easily killed me but you did not, even after vowing to kill me you did not. Your heart is filled with hate towards a lot of things and a lot of people. I know this not because you have told me but because of what you have done and how you have reacted. What was the cause of your hatred towards me? It was not always like this, little brother."

A deep sigh escaped Loki's nose and as he closed his eyes he tried to be as truthful as he could possibly be. "I have spent this entire week in silence contemplating everything and as much as I want to blame everything on you I fear I cannot do so. It would not be right to do so. I still do admit that Father's confession came at the most inopportune moment but…" Loki paused shifting his eyes that were still fixated on the ground, still afraid to look Thor in the eyes.

"I hated him for telling me right when he was seconds from falling into the Odin sleep and especially when I could not reach out to you when I needed you the most. But then I think back and realize that if you would have found out the truth as I have you would have…" Loki trailed off not daring to finish the sentence. The hurt and sadness that rumbled in his head somehow made its way into the pit of his stomach and he felt sick all over again. He let out a shuddering breath as he closed his eyes.

"_This is harder than I thought it was going to be."_ He thought as he tried to push himself. It was now or never and hopefully was a means to put an end to all the bitterness that even he had to admit would eventually destroy him. The next words to come out of Loki's mouth were whispered and stuttered.

"Every time I close my eyes I can still see it. Do you remember when we rode into Jotunheim? That day I saw something there—I just got confused...I cannot do this!"

Loki stood up but Thor grabbed him by the shirt and Loki froze. He opened his mouth to say something and chances were it was going to be sharp and hurtful towards Thor but before he could even breathe a single word Thor said in a calm yet dry tone enlaced with authority, "Sit down."

Loki actually turned his gaze on his brother who was staring at the floor and took one single step forward. He wanted to run away and hide, he needed to. This was going to take a lot from his part, he knew that from the very beginning and as much as he tried to deny it this was to be said and done. He kept staring at his older brother and this time his tone carried with it a mixture of sadness and anger.

"I said _sit_!" Loki did without so much as hesitating. It was common knowledge that Loki was always the responsible one, always the one keeping a close watch on Thor, always tending to his wounds whether physical or emotional and if needed be he would assume the parental role when their parents were absent. To his amused surprise the roles were changed. It had been long centuries since Thor raised his voice at Loki and spoke to him with such haste and authority.

"You will do well to listen to me, brother. I will speak and you will listen because I grow tired of this nonsense. Am I clear?"

"Yes." Loki said as he closed his eyes and turned his gaze upon the floor steadying himself for the coming words.

"I take some blame for what was happening. I should have kept a closer eye on you, protected you, and supported you. I clearly failed to do so numerous times from what I can see. Perhaps what was a joke to me was hurtful to you but know that I _never_ did anything out of ill will. I was blinded but it was never my intention to hurt you. I also never corrected the misbehavior of others comparing me to you and I know that hurt you more than anything else." Thor was now lowering his tone of voice. The sincerity in it was driving at Loki in a way he had never felt especially with the fact that he was being scolded.

"You and I are as different as we are the same. My weapon of choice is a hammer, yours is sorcery. While they are powerful on their own they are unstoppable together. That is what most did not see but I did! Loki, my Loki, if we both chose to stand together and raze the nine realms to ashes we would do so without even blinking and all who saw that potential shook before the very thought. Oh, yes, brother, as much as many doubted you there were some who saw the potential within you, within both of us and trembled at the mere thought."

That got a reaction from Loki. He opened his eyes wide and began to breathe heavily. Small gasps escaped his throat as he thought back, always trying to prove his worth, his strength, tried to surpass anyone at everything he could, always trying to be as equally great as the only person who showed him genuine affection. Yet somewhere along the line he confessed to himself he thought the one person who would make all the wrong in life right was somehow drifting from him and as far back as he can remember he had to admit he did not know why such thoughts came to mind.

Loki was now trembling, he tried to keep his rage suppressed, tried as hard as he could not to cry but above all tried his hardest to for once listen and take in what was being said instead of thinking he was being judged for all the wrong reasons. There was no malice in Thor's words he knew that very well and as much as his words stung him like water falling on an open wound he still forced himself to listen. Thor was about to speak again but as he looked at Loki he saw he was trembling, eyes shut tightly, chest expanding rapidly and biting his bottom lip. Clear signs of stress.

"Brother?"

"Oh…" He finally spoke, unfortunately in a terrible stutter as tears built up in his eyes and as much as he tried to blink them away they were now silently running down his cheeks. "I—I—I …uh—I only wanted to be…I only ever wanted to be as good and as loved as you…"

Thor frowned as he placed his arm around Loki's waist, always smaller than his own; he dragged him closer until their sides came into contact with each other. He then wrapped his arm around Loki's shoulder and brought him closer until the back of Loki's head was under Thor's bearded chin. He could feel his little brother quietly sobbing and as much as he wanted to stop talking and just hug him Thor knew he needed to continue. Sometimes it was best to destroy something in order to build it back up. Thor hugged him tightly with one arm and with his other hand he gently scratched behind his ear as he continued to speak.

"How could you possibly believe you were never loved enough? Mother and Father love us both equally and yes, even after all you have done."

Loki wanted to believe that notion but he still could not erase the look on Odin's face as Loki dropped into the abyss. That indifferent cold stare. "…and you?" Loki managed between gasping sobs.

"Always and forever, my little prince."

Those words dug deep into Loki and despite the fact that he did not want to let Thor see him cry he knew it was futile and Thor was clearly able to hear him sob. There was something Loki wanted to get off his chest and even if he knew his brother was not going to hurt him he still did not dare speak a word of it. Part of him wanted to just go out and say it mostly due to the fact that he wanted to see how Thor would react.

It was now or never and eventually Thor was going to find out and he had admitted he preferred that Thor find out through him than through someone else. He was breathing even heavier as the debate in his head intensified. Finally as all the noise from the arguments in his head stopped he whispered those dreaded words as more tears fell down his cheeks.

"I'm adopted."

"I know. Father told me. It makes no difference to me. You are still my little baby brother."

"But could you possibly think of a Frost Giant as a brother and still show the same affection as you have?"

Thor sighed heavily and Loki trembled even more, afraid of his brother's reaction. The silence in the room was practically deafening and it was making Loki even more nervous and regretful of his last words. Finally, Thor tightened his hug on Loki and smiled realizing where the conversation was taking a turn to.

"Father told me as well. It matters not to me what you were born as or if you were the abandoned runt of the litter. What matters to me is that you are my brother whether you are blue skinned with red eyes or pale with green eyes. I don't care."

Loki was still engulfed in Thor's embrace and still crying. Thor was now fighting back tears, it hurt him that Loki would even think that he loved him any less even after being raised together, playing together, training together, sharing an entire lifetime as siblings. However, Thor did admit he was shocked at the revelation and did not know how to handle it at first but despite it all that was still his little brother who chased him around and played with him. He decided that no matter what he still thought of Loki as his brother and would not love him any less.

"Whether you are a Frost Giant, mortal, Asgardian…chinchilla…" Both brothers began to laugh at the last word and it was a good distraction however brief it was. "You will always be _my_ little baby brother and nothing in all the nine realms will ever change that and I will not love you any less."

As Thor finished subtle tears fled his eyes and Loki kept sobbing. His face was twitching between smiling and frowning. He was gasping for air as his sobs got louder and streams of tears fell down his cheeks. Thor grabbed him with both arms and hugged him tightly, Loki grabbed Thor's shirt with his right hand and pulled Thor to him as he continued to cry.

Eventually the hysterical sobs toned down to gentler sobs until all was quiet safe for the occasional sniffling. After an hour tears were still washing down both of their faces but the room temperature felt lower so Thor shifted both himself and Loki to the middle of the bed. Thor crossed his legs to sit Indian style and managed to twist around to grab the blanket. He spread it out while Loki placed half of his limp skinny upper body on Thor's lap while curling the rest of his body in a fetal position. Thor placed the blanket over them to keep warm and then moved one hand to gently scratch the back of Loki's head and used the other to place it on his right shoulder.

This was strange. Loki half expected a huge argument in which he would say something overly painful and sharp just to hurt Thor and he expected Thor to try and reach out to him until his patience would wear out and would eventually in turn say something just as awful. He was even prepared for it to turn physical but it all took him by surprise. He shifted his now dry, half closed green eyes about and finally laid eyes on the foot that was several inches from his face. As if on automatic he reached out and grabbed the big toe which in turn made the foot twitch.

Thor looked down and smiled, the sensation of the fingers wrapped around his big toe was ticklish but he refrained from moving the foot. It had been centuries since Loki had done that and the touch was not unwelcome. He would often do that when he had a nightmare as a small child and needed to run into Thor's room to look for comfort. Usually he would grab his hand or his foot and slowly drift off to sleep. The memory made Thor feel a warm sensation in his stomach and as he kept scratching the back of Loki's head he actually began to quietly hum. The mighty Thor, wielder of Mjolnir and the greatest warrior in all the nine realms was actually humming. Loki heard the humming and was immediately overwhelmed by memories of childhood and an overprotective older brother who never left his side until Loki would smile again and feel better and safe.

Loki relaxed and eventually found sleep to come easily.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

After his last encounter with the Avengers Skurge had returned to Asgard only to find himself at the end of verbal lashings and mockery from Amora. She was furious but she was even more enraged when Skurge confessed he had been tricked by Loki and then betrayed. It was common knowledge that making a deal with the God of mischief was not only a bad idea but an idea that would either get you killed or imprisoned.

Skurge had described the crystal Loki had shown him but Amora remained ignorant to what the crystal was and what it was for. She would have gone to Karnilla but the news of Karnilla wanting both Skurge and herself in Karnilla's dungeons did not encourage such a task. Eventually through shady dealings and threats Amora discovered that the one crystal that Loki possessed was in fact just one from a set of four.

After that discovery she snuck into Karnilla's palace, no easy task but it was done, to retrieve the chest. She had formed a plan to get back at Loki. At the time it was thought that Thor was the one who had asked to borrow the crystal but in reality it had been Loki. Loki the shape shifting, scheming trickster son of a dog.

So far Amora had partially placed together Loki's latest scheme. He used Karnilla to gain access to one of the crystals under the guise of Thor, in doing so he had placed Skurge and herself in Karnilla's sight. Amora figured it was to persuade the queen into lending a crystal and in return paying a debt. A bounty. Loki then used Skurge as bait as he moved silently in the shadows until he was close enough to strike his brother down.

As much as she hated to admit it she had to come to terms with the fact that his scheme was good. She was sure he would eventually turn Hela's sight on Karnilla in order to gain a favor from her. The more she thought about it the more she became enraged. Used up like a puppet and then discarded on a dirt road at the mercy of the elements. She had not even been aware she was used in a plot until recently.

"If that dog thinks he can use me for one of his schemes he is mistaken!" Amora hissed as she raised an arm high above her head and several inches from her body. Her fingertips began to glow purple and she slowly lowered her arm causing a rip in front of her. So few were able to travel that way but today she was not going to travel, no, she was going to make sure that Karnilla's wrath was brought down upon Loki. Skurge handed her the golden chest that contained the last three crystals. She smiled as she laid eyes on them slowly opening the chest. She grabbed all three crystals and chucked them through the rip in front of her, a rip that led to Midgard.

She began to laugh as she closed the rip and after closing it she turned to Skurge and handed him the chest and said, "Now, let us pay a visit to our dear queen and do leave your ax. We will be surrendering to the queen after all."

Amora walked on and Skurge looked confused. He felt uneasy walking into enemy territory unarmed and unprotected but part of him was sure Amora's rage fueled plan was going to work. He still obeyed but every fiber of his being suggested what they were about to get involved with was a bad idea.

As if on cue Karnilla's guards circled Amora and Skurge and without so much as hesitating Amora quietly said, "I wish to speak to the queen."

"And what is there to discus?" A booming female voice erupted from beyond the group of guards. The circle parted and the Norn queen made her way towards Amora. Rage washed over her face as she placed her eyes on the duo.

"It is a matter of great importance, my queen. I believe it is best discussed in private."

"You will speak now, witch, lest I order my guards to tear you into oblivion." Karnilla's voice boomed loudly and Skurge tensed but Amora remained calm. She could use Karnilla's anger to her advantage. After carefully choosing her words she bowed her head in submission and presented to the queen a golden chest. The same golden chest Karnilla kept the Hel Crystals in. The queen literally gasped in horror at the sight of the empty chest that was being held by Amora.

"My queen I fear you and I have been used as pawns for the trickster's latest scheme."

The queen was filled with rage and concern. She clenched both of her fists and gritted her teeth but eventually calmed down. She was at the mercy of Amora and her plan and figured she would need her and Skurge to get the crystals back to her.

"Guards, lower your weapons."

Eventually the cast was removed from Loki's hand and while the hand was back to normal it would stiffen a little bit but it was nothing he could not handle. The shoulder, however, was still recovering. He stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, his wet hair dangling in front of him and slightly past his shoulders. He looked at the slightly bruised shoulder and closed his eyes; he knew it was by sheer luck he had not been decapitated by Skurge's ax. He often visited that day in his dreams and the mere thought of what his actual intentions were that day made him feel like vomiting.

Things were fine between him and Thor and he was finally able to speak to his brother as they did when young. No jealousy, no hatred, no bitterness between them, just a bond that had endured through the worst and prevailed in the end. He was grateful for it and in turn did realize he had a lot to make up for. He also made peace with the fact that he would have to return to Asgard to complete his sentence. Loki actually promised Thor he would do so but Thor insisted he first recover and then he would return to Asgard with him to make it easier on him and Thor promised to visit every day.

As he stared at his reflection he passed his hand over his bare injured shoulder and wished for it to never recover. He found living, even if as a captive, in the mansion comforting. Jan was the first to approach him like a person and not as a guard and in turn that made Hank do the same. In two weeks he had gained a portion of their trust. A portion mostly due to the fact that he still had the metallic device attached to the back of his neck and he behaved rather well. However, Clint still shot him hostile looks and refused to speak to him in a civilized manner. He was fine with that because if he was to be truthful with himself he had to admit he wronged him and he figured nothing he ever did would make Clint even slightly forgive him.

A knock on the bathroom door startled his train of thought and a friendly voice from the other side said, "Loki, you in there?" It was Jan.

"Yes."

"Hey, listen, everyone is gone off to kick someone's butt but before they left Tony asked me to let you know that if you want you can come on upstairs."

In the two weeks that Loki had been there he had never once been asked to join them in the upper levels. He figured he was just going to spend the entire time locked away in the basement but this surely made his face light up. If Loki had been a puppy his tail would have been wagging at an insanely fast pace right that minute. He did not hesitate to agree to join her in the upper levels.

"Great! When you're dressed just punch in the code '553' on the pad and press the star and it'll open the door. Once in the elevator just press the 3 and I'll be waiting in the living room. We can watch some bad horror movies and eat some ice cream and pizza and I can brush your hair!" The sincerity in her voice made him blush. His idea of fun was reading a book in a quiet place accompanied by a glass of wine but he actually longed for some friendly company and it was not such a terrible idea to try new things.

"I will join you in a few minutes."

"Awesome! The pizzas should be here at any minute. Don't take too long!"

The room went quiet again as Jan rushed off to the elevator. Loki could not help but smile at the very thought that someone other than Thor actually wanted to spend some time with him and was actually glad to do so out of their own volition. It was a rare event indeed. It was also sort of heartbreaking, he had to be honest with himself and admit he did not have any friends in Asgard. Those he referred to as "friends" were more like acquaintances he met through Thor and never felt any sort of connection to them. He sighed deeply as he pushed back tears and blinked quickly.

The elevator doors opened and Loki stepped out. He found himself staring at a huge room. The carpet on the floor was beige; the walls were white as was the roof. There was a giant television at the end of the room adorning the wall. In front of it was a long sofa that could easily sit four people, several other little cushioned seats and two bean bags on the floor. He approached the sofa slowly, a bit shy as he kept his shoulders stiff and his arms to the side.

As he neared the sofa a hand patted him on the back and Jan walked past him with two boxes of pizza. She set the boxes down on the table in front of the sofa and smiled up at Loki and signaled him to walk around the sofa and to have a seat. Jan stood up and walked towards the kitchen as soon as Loki sat down. He in turn watched where she was heading to and heard a mess of cluttering noises and a slight Midgardian swear.

When Jan returned it was with two tubs of ice cream, two litters of soda and a huge bowl of pop corn. She set everything down and giggled at Loki's puzzled look. She also looked at the shirt he was wearing and pressed a hand over her mouth as she tried to withhold some more laughter. The shirt he was wearing was one of Thor's old hand-me-downs and on Loki's small frame it looked like the shirt had once belonged to a giant.

"That reminds me," Jan said as she slightly tugged on the shirt's collar, "Thor and Steve went out and got you some clothing that will actually fit. It's not fancy, just some plain t-shirts, jeans and such. At least it won't be Thor's oversized clothing."

Loki looked down at the shirt and smiled. He was more than okay with what he was wearing and if he was to be honest it helped him sleep at night wearing clothes that had Thor's scent on them. Still the gesture was appreciated and he slightly nodded. He could still keep Thor's clothes to sleep.

Jan settled all the food, if it could be called food, and walked over to the television and the Blu-Ray player and inserted a disk. Loki watched carefully and memorized all Jan was doing for future reference. As soon as she was finished she placed the giant bowl of pop corn between herself and Loki, grabbed one of the ice cream tubs and handed it and a big spoon to Loki and she grabbed the other one. As soon as she was comfortable and saw that Loki was relaxed she hit the button and the movie began.

They must have watched at least four films by the time the front door opened and the rest of the Avengers walked through it. Thor had a look of victory written all over his face, Steve just sighed contently, Clint silently walked in while rubbing his right elbow, Bruce walked in with a sheepish look on his face and Tony walked in with a look that said he was about ready to kick someone. Tony glared at Bruce and held up two fingers as he said, "This is the second time I tell you to reconsider throwing trucks at villains. This is also the second time you decide that throwing a truck is a good idea and this is also the second time said truck landed on me. I swear to God there will not be a third time." Tony walked on to remove his scratched armor while Clint and Thor chuckled and Bruce whimpered.

"My friends, what is the use of exchanging hostile words? We were victorious! Let us now find a comforting spot and relax for the evening." Thor said as he walked over to the elevator at the end of the room followed by Hank, Steve, Clint and Bruce.

"How can you always be so cheerful? It's like a mental disease!" Tony ragged on as he walked away to get the armor off of him. The rest of the team would head down to get cleaned and patched up but since Tony was always inside his suit he never had a single speck of dirt on him so it was only a matter of just removing the suit. The others would take a while and remembering what he had told Jan before leaving he decided to take Thor's words to heart and head to the giant living room in the third floor to see if Loki had taken the offer.

After watching four films Loki had come to the realization that if there was indeed a raving lunatic bursting in through the front door all the lunatic would have to do in order to capture and maim all the residents of the mansion would be to simply walk very slowly, at least according to the films. He did get to a point where he predicted who was going to die next, why and who the real killer was. It was dull, most made no sense at all, all were easy to decipher and it was the most fun he had had in a very long time. Every minute was enjoyable. He looked forward to finding out the plot before Jan could, relished the minute Jan would scream and get pop corn all over the sofa and carpet due to a fright, the exaggerated scenes of gore, blood and entrails and how Jan would feel sick at the sight of it.

Loki looked down at the now empty tub of ice cream, the almost empty pizza boxes and the pop corn bowl that was surprisingly still half way finished. He looked to his left and saw the empty soda bottle. He had actually finished an ice cream tub, ate some pizza, pecked at some pop corn and drank an entire liter of soda. He suddenly felt like Thor at the sound of the dinner bell. He did not care, he actually got it into his head that today he was just going to enjoy himself even if he made a pig of himself and diluted his brain activity over some trashy horror films. He could see why mortals were always so attracted to the television. This was definitely an evening he wished to repeat.

"Head to the kitchen and get some more soda while I put on another movie. Thor said you love to read and study so I think the guy in this film will definitely be to your liking." Jan said as she stood up and a mess of pop corn fell off her lap.

The corner of Loki's mouth stretched up in glee. He got up from the sofa and went in the direction Jan had gone to retrieve two more liters of soda. He actually felt comfortable enough to walk about freely and to actually go into the kitchen and ransack the place for food. When he returned with the items he bent over and placed the sodas on the table but let out a sharp wince. Jan heard Loki whimpering and rushed over to him to see what was wrong.

"Hey, are you okay?" A genuine look of concern washed over her face. He only saw that kind of concern on Thor's face and on his mother's face. He turned his gaze away from Jan when he realized he was just staring at her and calmly said as he slowly moved his left shoulder, "I am fine. My shoulder just pained me for a second but it is fine now."

"Oh, nonsense. Come on, sit on the floor and I'll massage the shoulder. Hank taught me, and believe me, with all the injuries we get around here it has been a pretty good talent to have."

"Uh, no, that's quite all right. No need to concern yourself."

"Tsk, don't be such a baby." Jan said as she rolled her eyes and walked towards Loki. She grabbed him by the arm, the uninjured one, and pulled on it until he sat on the carpet with a steady thud. As he hit the floor he stiffened and his eyes went wide in shock. Jan sat behind him on the sofa and cracked her fingers as she said, "Now relax. Might hurt just a teensy bit but I promise your shoulder will be a lot better. Trust me."

Loki slightly groaned under his breath and tensed up severely but as much as he wanted to object he knew it would be futile. Jan stretched her arms out and gently placed both hands on Loki's left shoulder. Loki jumped and Jan could swear she heard a slight almost inaudible whimper escape Loki. Jan frowned and slightly slapped Loki on his head and in an almost parental tone said, "I told you to relax. I'm _not_ going to hurt you."

Loki lowered his head a little but immediately relaxed lest he be struck again; he took no offense to it. Jan meant well and Loki had to admit he was very stubborn. He also found it amusing that a mortal would actually have enough sass to take such a tone with a being like him. He slightly smiled and lowered the tension in his shoulders. Jan placed her hands on him again and smiled as she concentrated. This was going to take a while and not because his shoulder was injured, he had knots everywhere but with time she was sure she could help him out with that.

The sensation was indescribable and as his tensed shoulder relaxed he felt a warm sensation creep up from the pit of his stomach to his cheeks. It was as if a fire had been lit inside his stomach and its warmth was slowly dancing from his stomach to his cheeks. After a few minutes Loki felt himself go and actually closed his eyes and a subtle moan escaped his throat. He never wanted it to end.

The elevator bell rang and the rest of the team walked in. Tony smiled when he saw Loki had decided to join the group in the upper levels; he turned his gaze to Hank who playfully shook his head at the current sight. He knew he had taught Jan well but the broken collarbone was a sensitive area and any wrongly placed hand could cause an injury. But the look on Loki's completely relaxed face said she was not injuring him so he let her continue.

Tony walked ahead of the group and as soon as he was near the sofa he leaned down to pick up a piece of pizza and as he stood up he stretched out a hand and tousled Loki's hair as he said, "Hey, sport, how do you feel today?" He then sat down next to Jan as he kept staring at Loki waiting for an answer.

Loki had frozen in horror and immediately tensed up when he realized the rest of the group had arrived. He felt like a small child who had just been caught outside of his room when he had been ordered to stay in his room until his parents saw fit to let him roam freely. Jan noticed the tension not to mention his messy hair courtesy of Tony.

"Tony, I brushed his hair earlier! Now look what you did."

"I can't help it! He's fun to bother." Tony shot back in a giggling tone as he took a bite out of his piece of pizza and put both feet on the table.

"And you!" Jan leaned down as she slapped the back of Loki's head once more, "Relax, you were invited to spend some time with us. It's fine. Have some more soda and pop corn."

Loki obeyed and reached for a handful of pop corn. Hank walked by and sat on Jan's other side, Steve took the last spot on the sofa and Bruce pushed one of the cushioned chairs next to the sofa. Clint had stopped in the kitchen momentarily and came out with a cold bottle of beer and a very agitated look on his face.

"_I can't believe this son of a bitch is up here mingling with us as if he was one of us. What the fuck is Tony thinking? What the fuck are any of them thinking?"_ Clint thought as he quietly moved past the group. He quietly grabbed one of the beanbags and pulled it away from the group. As he sat on the beanbag he let out an exaggerated sigh and continued to drink from the bottle in his hand.

Loki noticed the behavior, in fact, they all did but they chose to ignore it. Loki could not ignore it. He felt ashamed to have brought so much pressure into Tony's house and even more when seeing he was driving a wedge between his brother's friends. Jan continued to massage his shoulder and it somehow distracted him as he saw Thor walk up to him and sat next to him.

"Hello, my brother. How does your hand and shoulder feel?"

Loki nodded happily and a strange glow lit his face as soon as he laid eyes on Thor. Bruce had looked to see Loki's reaction to seeing Thor and noticed his face light up. Bruce smiled as he placed his eyes on Steve and Tony who in turn smiled. Not even the god of lies could fake such a reaction.

Eventually the group fell into silence as they watched the movie. They had all seen it multiple times but it was a good movie and Loki had never seen "_Silence of the Lambs_" so it was easy to endure it once again.

Sadly not everyone was calm. Clint kept shooting dirty looks at the group and especially at Loki. How he wanted to get up and place a swift well placed kick to his injured shoulder and just keep bombarding him with punches and kicks till he was bruised and bloody and Clint had his fill. He was not buying this new version of Loki. Not at all. He kept waiting for the minute Loki would eventually turn on them and kill each of them in their sleep. It was ridiculous.

"So Hank, how do you like your girl massaging another man?" Clint shot as he stared at the bottom of his seventh empty beer bottle.

That remark got a puzzled reaction from Hank but Tony and Steve leaned forward to look at Clint. Both sported a very serious scolding look. Jan decided to ignore Clint and continued to massage Loki's shoulder. Thor rolled his eyes, a trait he picked up from Jan and Hank. Bruce slowly planted his face in his palm. Loki sighed and closed his eyes as he felt tears begin to build. It was Asgard all over again. It seemed everywhere he went he caused misery.

"Hmph!" Was all Clint said but Tony and Steve were already angry.

"Why don't you just go to bed? Those seven beers are making you say stupid shit. You should sleep that off. Now!" Jan's tone was sharp and crude, a rare sight and one reserved for those who deserved no better from her or anyone else.

Clint uttered curses under his breath and rose in haste to go to his room. Tony and Steve were at his heels to have a talk with him. Loki had begun to breathe heavily and he could no longer hold his tears back as thin streams fled his eyes. Bruce noticed the tears and as he gently placed a hand on Loki's shoulder he shrugged it off and quickly stood up and walked to the bathroom on the other side of the living room. The remaining members of the group chased him but as soon as they got to the bathroom Loki had locked the door.

He stood against the door and lowered his gaze and he slowly dropped to sit on the floor while hiding his face between his knees and violently pulling on his hair. He pulled hard enough to actually rip some hair right out of his scalp and as he tossed it aside he placed his right lower arm into his mouth and bit down hard enough to tear flesh and draw blood. He remained still as he quietly wept while the others kept knocking on the door.

Before Clint could shut his door and lock it Tony and Steve barged in but before Clint could protest Tony began to talk.

"What the fuck is the matter with you? Do you have any idea how sensitive this situation is?" Tony barked furiously as he kept a steady gaze on Clint who returned the gaze.

"Do you? Because we all know it's such a good idea to let that maniac in here. Give him the chance to murder us all in our sleep!"

"Oh, gosh, yes, I totally forgot how easily one can do that with a shattered hand and a broken collarbone! Clint, this isn't a permanent thing! As soon as he's recovered we'll toss him back to Odin or Zeus or whoever the fuck it is that makes the rules up in Asgard."

"Yeah, why are we doing that again? It's not like we owe that son of a bitch anything!"

"Because his shattered hand was _my_ fault!" Tony screamed as he placed a hand over his chest. "It was sheer dumb luck he wasn't killed and I may be a lot of things but a killer is not one of them. I was not going to murder an unarmed man! You were there that day in Vegas, you saw what I saw. Thor was at his mercy and he could have killed him, oh, yes, he could have but he didn't!"

There was suddenly a cold silence in the room. Tony and Clint were still staring down at each other and Steve just looked at the two of them. He had been given very specific details about what had happened in Vegas but not having been an actual witness had made the details all the harder to belief. He was certain now that the events were as real as they were strange.

"You also saw how he pushed Thor out of the way as that ax came down on them. He actually risked his life to protect his brother's and in turn got an ax buried into his shoulder. Those x-rays didn't lie. You saw his hand and you saw his shoulder." Tony's tone lowered now to a calm scold and his eyes were less intense.

"You also have noticed his state of mind during his stay here." Steve finally budged in, "He easily breaks down and let's not forget that stunt he pulled with the knife to his hand and the pills. You can't fake that."

"Don't bring that up. Do me a favor, don't bring that up." Clint said as he waved his hands in protest.

"Ah, sensitive subject?" Tony snapped as he folded his arms over his chest.

"As the matter of fact, yes. While that did surprise me and shocked me I still don't trust him, and yes, I am still angry about what he did. Tony, if he really repents for all he did that's great, more power to him. It doesn't mean I have to like him or trust him."

"Yeah, but you don't have to be such an asshole about it!" Tony quickly replied and Steve nodded in agreement.

"It'll take a lot more than that for me to actually believe he's somehow changed. Redemption is a long and hard road and he has barely scratched the surface. If Thor wants to blindly believe him, fine. If the rest of you want to treat him as a pet, fine. But if he wants to get on my good side he needs to actually proof he wants to stop this villain bullshit. In the mean time I'll stop acting like an ass but don't expect me to get friendly with him or be his friend."

"That's all we're asking." Steve said in a calm tone. Tony was going to say something else but he was interrupted by an electronic voice, "Sir, I'm afraid there's an incident occurring in the living room's bathroom."

"What is it, Jarvis?" Tony barked as his concentration was being broken. He was not nearly done giving Clint a piece of his mind and he was not going to leave until he had his say, even if Clint had agreed to adjust his attitude.

"I also advice you get some medical supply."

Tony and Steve both looked at each other in fright and rushed back outside to see what the commotion was about and in doing so forgot to stop for some supplies as Jarvis had suggested. Tony, Steve and Clint rushed back to the living room and saw the rest of the group huddled near the bathroom door. Tony made his way through the group and saw Thor sitting in the floor holding Loki in his arms; Loki was sprawled across the floor. He looked like a murder victim and had just been discovered by a family member. Tony looked at his face and he looked almost comatose.

Jan was next to Thor and was comforting him. Tony thought it was funny since the one who needed the comfort was clearly Loki but when he looked up he saw Thor with a similar look on his face, like he tried as hard as he could to mend a broken object but every time he taped the object together it would fall and break with even the swiftest movement.

He turned to Steve and asked him to get some disinfecting cream and some bandages as he pointed at Loki's arm. Steve nodded and quickly went for the requested materials. Tony prayed the poor fool knew what a tube of disinfecting cream looked like as he often had trouble still adjusting to modern life.

After cleaning his wounds and calming his quiet sobbing Loki was escorted to one of the guest rooms. Tony was glad Clint had retrieved to his room well before Loki was dragged out of the bathroom because he was sure he would have made a scene and protested Loki being in the upper levels and not being locked away in the basement.

He was given a room right next to Thor's and in front of Steve's. Tony figured he would feel more comfortable with being near his brother and near someone who was not dead-set of beheading him. As they said their good nights Jan walked up to Tony and whispered in his ear a troubling yet cryptic concern, "Check under his shirt."

Tony looked at Jan puzzled and she returned a serious gaze at him. He knew who she was speaking of and was hoping it was just something minor but a creeping feeling jerked at his spine. He turned to Loki and saw Bruce patting him on the head and saying his good night. Thor did the same and as he spoke Loki looked up at him and smiled. It was a sad smile and one he knew he faked but there was still a hint of sincerity in it and it actually made Tony's stomach churn.

As soon as the door closed behind him Tony turned to make sure everyone had left and as soon as he confirmed it he walked up to the bed and sat down next to Loki. The two men idly watched the carpeted floor. The silence was in part serene but Tony was plagued by uneasy thoughts and Jan's words.

The man next to Tony opened his mouth as if to say something but no sound snuck past his lips. Tony then took the opportunity and grabbed Loki's shirt and lifted it slightly to which Loki protested in quiet words as he grabbed Tony by the wrist and pulled the hand away. Tony grabbed Loki's hand and held it back as he continued to lift the shirt.

A quiet gasp escaped his lips as he saw scratches and cuts all over his back and sides. Loki merely closed his eyes in a sorry attempt to hold back tears and ignore what was happening. Tony lowered the shirt slowly and turned his gaze back on the carpet.

"Why?"

"Have you ever felt an intense anger boiling within you? A sort of anger that you knew if you did not unleash it would ultimately fester and rot you from within?"

"Yes." Tony said in a quiet tone being reminded of his drinking and the times he almost succumbed to alcohol poisoning because no matter how much he drank none of the alcohol was strong enough to erase the actual problem. It could only numb it for a short time.

Loki sighed as he continued, "For a short period of time I tried as hard as I could to suppress it. It was…taxing to say the least but that anger begged and pleaded to get out. Now looking back I believe I was letting that anger out in the worst possible way and expulsed it on the wrong people."

"You're right, in a way. Everyone feels that anger but some feel it even more and some can't seem to know how to deal with it. Sometimes the result can be something you didn't want in the first place." Tony paused as he gathered his thoughts, it was a sensitive subject and he needed to tread carefully. "Taking your anger out on others, especially people who care about you, is not the way to deal with it. But it doesn't make it any less wrong to take it out on yourself. In a sense it's actually slightly worse."

Loki continued to look down at the carpet. He abhorred sympathy and pity but in a way he longed for it. Had he been in another state of mind he would have sought out Clint, broken a bone or two, set the mansion on fire and would have left. He admitted that it would have all resulted in him feeling better to cause destruction but only for a short time. He would have realized his actions would have garnered the worst feelings from them because of his lack of control over his emotions and in turn would have felt awful because the few people who actually gave him a second chance and were, as he felt, being genuinely kind to him would have turned their backs on him. As a result it would have angered him further and he would cause further damage and again those he affected would harbor him ill will and hate.

It was a vicious cycle and Loki was aware of it, he was also aware of the fact that he was exhausted from being trapped and consumed by it. As furious as he was with his father for keeping his true identity a secret he could not bear the thought of his father hating him, as much as he hated how the general populace of Asgard regarded him as a weakling and mocked him in a cruel way he could not stand the thought of them turning their backs to him, as much as he, falsely, claimed to hate his brother for being overshadowed by him and never being as good or as shinning at everything as he was he had to admit that the worst case scenario would be for Thor to hate him. That and that alone would be something similar to death. Something he thanked the stars had not happened yet.

"I'm trying." Loki finally spoke up, still refusing to look Tony in the eyes. "Uh…I…this is the only way to stop myself from taking my anger out at others."

"It's certainly not the healthiest but I understand it. Whenever there is a problem I feel is too great for me or when the world just seems to be collapsing and closing in on me like a set of claws I drown in alcohol. It's most certainly the worst idea but it just stops everything from getting too close for comfort. Worst part of it all is that right before opening that first bottle I know what I am about to do is stupid."

Tony turned to look at Loki and actually smiled and in a playful gesture bumped his shoulder with Loki's. The man next to him did not get the real significance behind the gesture but he finally looked up at him and he saw his smile and in turn slightly lifted the corner of his mouth.

"I know you're trying. I'm not a psychologist and I don't know you the way Thor does but I can tell you've been trying to control your anger. If it was not clear before then tonight proved it. You would have turned Clint into shreds but you didn't. Sure you took out your frustration on your arm and your scalp but you didn't burn him into oblivion and deep down I know you were tempted to do it but you didn't. You should find some other way to let your anger out, in a constructive way, something passive. Promise?"

Loki turned his gaze away unsure of what to say, normally he would lie but he, for once, felt like he did not need to lie in order to feel safe. He sighed and closed his eyes as he found himself unable to lie but unable to concede to the request. "I can try but I cannot promise."

"The fact that you'll try is good enough for me. Besides…" Tony said as he once again lifted Loki's shirt to see the self-inflicted injuries. Part of him was horrified that anyone would reach that point but another part sympathized and wanted to calm him because no matter what Loki had done not even he should suffer in such a manner. "It would break Thor's heart if he saw this. Not to mention Jan and Steve and Bruce and Hank. Hell, even me, and as much as he's acting like an ass even Clint would flinch."

"I'll try." It was all Loki said in a low murmur but loud enough that Tony heard.

"Speaking of which, Steve and I spoke to Clint and he agreed to stop acting like a horse's ass. However, it doesn't mean you should allow anyone to bully you around like that. You weren't doing anything wrong. If he gets on your case again you punch him square in the face and kick him in the balls."

At last Loki actually laughed, lightly, but he laughed and in turn Tony felt a sense of relieve and laughed as well. "Well," Tony said as he stood up and tousled Loki's hair, "You should get some sleep. Good night, sport."

"I'm over two thousand years older than you. Why in the name of—"

"You're the only one in this house with the title of 'baby brother'." Tony smugly said as he opened the door to Loki's room and before shutting the door he peeked his head in and with a wide smile said, "Good night, tiger!"

Loki just laughed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note 1:** I apologize for the lack of updates. I came across some hard disk problems on my laptop so it HAD to be take care of. Today I got the laptop back only because the hard disk was replaced by one I could borrow until my new one can arrive. In the mean time I will update as much as possible. I will no longer be able to maintain a steady flow of chapter updates every Monday and Friday like I use to but there will be updates. I've fallen very behind schedule but I have used a notebook to keep writing so during the weekend I will be updating this story.

**Note 2:** Thank you so much for the follows, favorites and reviews. They all mean a lot to me and actually make me squeal like a puppy. They all keep me inspired to keep going with this story!

**Chapter 7:**

Sleep did not find its way easily that night. His mind reverted back to the, as he admitted, surreal conversation he had had with Tony. A year ago this was a man who was being fought against and a man he hated for having defeated him. But in the span of two weeks and a half Loki found that hate slowly diminishing until it was not present any longer. He even went as far as to admit that he did not hate Clint either. However he felt uneasy, insecure and in danger around Clint. At first Loki could not fathom why Clint's presence stirred him so but he was slowly realizing that it was Clint's behavior.

Clint behaved exactly as his father did. No matter how hard he tried to suppress his anger, to not act on a thoughtless whim or give in to his insatiable Id he knew for certain that Clint would never stop acting hostile towards him. In a way, he came to the conclusion that of all the people in the house he had wronged him, beside his brother, in the foulest way. Eventually he resigned to avoiding Clint all together, they were all living in a peaceful state and if Loki the liesmith was to be honest he enjoyed the present company, relished the fact that these people who he had wronged had actually given him a second chance and helped him recuperate from his ghastly injuries and if he analyzed the situation even further they were also the reason for his current inner peace. Peace he had not known of for centuries.

Loki felt safe in the mansion. He was not looked down at with judgmental eyes, was treated as if he was one of their own, literally from Thor's part, they were now including him in passive activities they partook in. As he thought of the day's events he smiled, even if all that junk food had made his stomach a bit sick and the movies Jan had picked out, safe for the last one, were as she stated "trashy" he still had a wonderful day and it did not involve him burning something or killing someone.

As his mind calmed and was beginning to feel the hazy side-effects of sleep he smiled as he cuddled the blanket close to him.

Unfortunately for him he was rudely awaken by a cold hand clasping tightly around his neck and pressing down hard. Hard enough to cut the supply of air from his mouth or nose to his lungs. He opened his eyes wide and saw a silhouette hovering above him; he could not make out any details on the figure. It was as if all the shadows of the room had gathered themselves around the figure to hide its features.

Loki reached up and tried to pull away the intruder's hands but it was futile. The silhouette cackled maniacally and just stared at him as Loki struggled. As his vision was beginning to blur and everything was fading to black the silhouette drew its face closer to Loki's and actually spoke, "They know you will betray them. You always betray all who show you kindness," the tone was soft but disturbingly its voice echoed as if it were two people speaking at once, "They are very well aware that you are not capable of love, no monster could ever love, not even himself. Even Thor does not hold a place in your heart. There is no place for love in your heart for it burned to ashes long ago. Your heart is not alive, it does not work. Stop pretending!"

As the silhouette's final words echoed Loki's vision went black and as soon as it did he sat up from his bed quickly and a sharp yelp escaped his throat. He looked around his room in panic searching for the silhouette. His eyes were wide, his pupils had shrunk and he was breathing heavily and panting. He placed both hands on his throat and as he pulled them away he felt a soft tingle and a bile sickening reaction stirring in his stomach. When he saw the room was empty he placed a palm on his forehead and looked down at the bed. He passed his hand through his hair as he inhaled and exhaled in order to regain his composure and to calm his breathing.

"_It was just a nightmare. That's all it was."_ Loki thought as he then realized he was neither confirming a fact nor trying to convince himself of something.

As his breathing returned to normal he grabbed the end of the blanket and as he placed his head back on the pillow he pulled the blanket over his head. An action he had not done since he was a child. He tried to fall back asleep but found it difficult as his mind was plagued by the words the silhouette uttered. Loki was well aware that it had been a nightmare and in his heart, his still alive and beating heart, he knew the silhouette was wrong. It still did not change the fact that Loki was shaken by them.

Loki pulled the covers away and looked to the night stand beside his bed. The small clock with the brilliant red numbers in it confirmed it was 3:44 in the morning. He sighed heavily as he sat on the bed and grabbed his pillow. As he hugged the pillow tightly he looked at the door and without thinking he stood up and walked out into the hallway.

He looked down the hallway to his right and walked up to the door next to his. Still holding his pillow with one hand and with the other gently opening the door as to not disturb the person inside the room. As he crept inside the room he could hear rumbling snores emitting from the person inside. Oh, yes, this was definitely Thor's room. He would recognize that sound anywhere.

Thor was a heavy sleeper; it would take an explosion or a hammer to the head in order to wake him from his sleep. Nevertheless he blinked his eyes awake as he felt something shift the angle of his mattress as if something heavy had slumped on it. He paid little attention to it but as he tugged on his blanket he felt it would not budge. He tugged on it a few times and after giving up he sat up and looked to his side.

A smaller skinnier frame had curled itself in a fetal position right next to him. Thor batted his eyes a few times to clear his vision and as soon as it cleared he was puzzled at who it was that had curled up at the edge of his bed.

"Loki? Are you all ri—"

"I had a nightmare." Loki cut him off before Thor could finish his question. Thor smiled down at his little brother as he remembered countless times Loki had snuck into his room and hid under the covers next to him because of a nightmare or a horrible storm.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" Thor's tone was soft with a hint of protectiveness that never seemed to have left him.

"I don't want to be alone right now." Loki said in a quivering breath as he tightly hugged his pillow.

Thor could not help but smile again and after he sat up he reached around Loki and grabbed the pillow in his hands and placed it on the bed and under Loki's head. He pulled the blanket from under his brother and placed it over his small frame and patted him. As he did Loki began to relax and he stretched out his body to get more comfortable now that he was assured he could stay.

After Thor placed his head on the pillow he wrapped both arms around Loki's waist and pulled him closer to him until both bodies made contact with each other. This took Loki by surprise but it was not unwelcome and in a way he needed the warm contact from someone who cared. Thor then buried his nose in Loki's hair and inhaled as he nuzzled the back of Loki's head. Now that was definitely not unwelcome and it created a warm feeling in the pit of Loki's stomach. He sighed contently as he embraced Thor's arms and he smiled while his eyes closed.

Thor inhaled again and in a groggy voice he said, "Your hair smells nice." The two brothers chuckled lightly at Thor's comment and soon settled themselves to sleep as both sighed contently.

"Good night, my little prince."

"Good night, my king."

As usual Bruce, Jan and Hank were up and fixing breakfast, of all the people in the house they were the only ones who were able to walk around a kitchen without setting something on fire or completely destroying a meal. As they finished the food the other members were making their way into the dining room near the living room of the third floor. Their slow, wobbly steps chasing the smell of waffles, coffee, juice and assorted fruits. Usually there were eight plates set at the table; there should have been seven plates since T'Challa was away in Wakanda handling a personal manner but he was not due back for another four days. Clint sighed at the eighth plate, he knew exactly who would be joining them for breakfast that morning and as irritated as he was he also remembered telling Tony and Steve he would adjust his attitude. So he sat down, closed his eyes and was determined to enjoy his breakfast without it being ruined.

A loud knock at the door startled Loki awake. He uncovered his head and looked towards the door sort of looking to see if he really did hear a knock. After a few seconds there was another knock on the door but this time Bruce spoke up.

"Hey, Loki? Breakfast is ready. Go wash up and meet us at the table, 'kay?"

Loki blinked three times and then turned to his side. Thor was gone so he turned back to the other night stand and saw it was 9:02 in the morning.

"Wow, Thor awake before me? Now _that_ is impressive." He muttered under his breath as he slowly stood up and made his way into the room next to Thor's which was his. He felt a little shame as he quickly walked down the hall realizing he had spent the rest of the night sleeping in his brother's room, in the same bed. Two grown men practically cuddling each other like prepubescent girls. The shame doubled when Bruce came directly to Thor's room and called out his name instead of Thor's.

"_I don't care."_ Loki thought as he walked into his bathroom to clean up to have some breakfast.

"So I heard that noise again and as I kept walking I swear I thought I was going to scream!" Steve was telling the group a story from when he was just a child and in doing so managed to light up the table with some laughter. Everyone had finally gathered at the table and was eating breakfast, all except for one person.

"Good morning!" Steve said as he cut his story short when he saw Loki shyly walking up to the group. The rest of the group greeted him and ushered him to join them. He stood still for a few seconds analyzing each of their faces and when he saw they were all staring back he lowered his gaze, crossed his arms over his chest and slowly made his way to the empty seat between Thor and Jan. As soon as he sat down he looked at the food and in a soft tone said, "Good morning."

Everyone smiled and nodded, safe for Clint, and continued to eat. After a single bite from the waffles Loki lowered his utensils and said, "And thank you for breakfast." This time his tone was a little louder but not by much. Bruce, Jan and Hank looked up at him and then at each other. They never asked for praise of any kind for fixing breakfast, lunch or dinner but it was a very pleasant thing to hear, to know their work was not overlooked.

Tony just could not help but smile wide and thanked them as well, followed by the rest of the group. It certainly brightened the room and even Clint smiled. After breakfast Tony and Bruce examined Loki's shoulder and after a few tests they concluded that his shoulder was as new as ever.

Loki's face dropped and he tried to hold in a shudder but Tony and Bruce noticed. Bruce placed a hand on his now healthy shoulder and said, "Hey, it's gonna be okay, Loki."

"Yeah, hey, it's not like your dad's gonna throw you in some dungeon, throw away the key and forget about you." At least that is what Tony hoped. In the time, however short it was, that Loki spent with them he had actually gained a place in their heart. Tony could not believe it but he went from hating Loki to actually being fond of him and he was sure he was not the only one to feel that way.

"Besides," Tony continued, "Thor said he would visit every day, and you know what? If Thor allows it, we'll tag along too!" Loki searched Tony's face for any signs of fallacy but was taken aback when he saw none and was reassured when Bruce nodded in agreement.

Loki then stood up from his chair and to their surprise he actually gave Tony a hug. Tony was shocked to say the least but as he felt Loki burying his face in Tony's shoulder he returned the hug to which Loki sort of flinched and a sniffle was heard coming from the Asgardian. Bruce caved in and walked towards both of them with open arms and hugged them both and both of them returned the hug.

"Aw, the hell with it." Tony said as he backed away and handed Loki a tissue clearly seeing the tears flowing. "When your dad lets you go you are more than welcome to come back and stay. Hate to break it to you, sport, but you actually have some friends here."

Loki's eyes widened and as he turned to Bruce he saw he was happily nodding. "Do you really mean that?"

"Every word."

Loki kept searching their eyes for a trace of a lie or some false sense of pity that made them say those words but in truth had no intention of keeping their promise but as much as he tried there was no indication that they were being dishonest.

"You know, you don't have to go back today. You can just relax here today and go tomorrow." Bruce suggested as he looked at Tony searching for approval. After all, it was his house. Tony stopped to think for a minute and before speaking he once again tousled Loki's hair. "Yeah, hey, let's head on up to pool and spend the entire day relaxing and at night we can watch some movies. Any movies you want to choose, sport."

As soon as they stepped out Tony and Bruce informed the group of the day's activities and like school children who had been told they did not need to leave for school they scrambled to their rooms to look for appropriate attire for the pool. Thor had already been introduced to the pool and what it was but Loki had never seen one up close. In his years in the library reading and doing research he came across information about Midgard regarding its history, development and other information. He knew most of the things the mortals used and what they were for. He had the theory well placed but the practice is what he lacked.

Still he enjoyed the day and to his surprise he found he actually laughed. He did not cackle with an evil tone, he just laughed and smiled. It was something Thor had not been a witness to in centuries and in turn it made him smile and laugh to see his little brother genuinely happy. Thor actually began to question if what Loki had said about their father, The Warriors Three, Sif and the rest of Asgard was true.

In his mind he saw—he felt that he and Loki were treated the same but now that he was watching how Jan, Steve, Tony, Hank, Bruce and even Clint now, who was actually talking to Loki, behaved around him and treated him he was shocked to see a very plain and clear contrast to what he thought was certain back in Asgard. Thor shuddered at the thought; it was an ugly, cold and heartbreaking thought.

"_Am I the only one in Asgard that actually loves him?"_

Thor shuddered at the very thought. He did not want to think of such a heartbreaking realization but unfortunately for him all the evidence was right before his eyes. His father hardly flinched after he pulled Thor up from the edge of the Bifrost and had seen his youngest commit suicide. Every ill word Thor's friends spoke of him, how they mocked him, never bothered to listen— really listen to what he was trying to say.

The second he returned from his memories and finished analyzing everything he actually began to doubt if it was a good idea to return Loki to Asgard. He would be sending his youngest brother to the wolves. This sudden and welcome change in his heart and soul would surely die and Thor would have been the one to have caused his new found happiness to wither and die a horrible death.

"Thor!"

Thor's train of thought was interrupted by Loki who had been hovering over his face calling his name for a few minutes now. Thor shifted his sight to land on his brother's face and Jan who also hovered over him. Thor had been lying down by the edge of the pool on top of a long towel when that string of thoughts had consumed his attention. As his focus shifted on his brother he sheepishly smiled at him as he saw a smile plastered over his face and his wet hair messily decorated his face. Green eyes so bright they were almost unnatural yet so full of life.

"Jan and I are heading to the kitchen to get some things. Would you like anything, brother?"

"No need. Tony and I will gather some more drinks and food. I need to speak to Tony anyways."

"Suit yourself." Jan said and immediately pushed Loki back into the water and began to laugh uncontrollably even as Hank scolded her.

Thor sat up, stood up and looked for Tony who was so conveniently sitting on a chair, relaxing and taking in the sun. Thor approached him and without saying a single word he shifted his eyes to the house and Tony got the message. He stood up and both of them walked back into the kitchen. Thor had gone to the refrigerator to get some soda but was inclined not to look at Tony as he gathered the strength to say what was in his mind.

"So are you going to tell me what is bothering you or am I going to have to guess?" Tony playfully quipped.

Thor looked his friend in the eyes and Tony quickly saw he was not in a jesting sort of mood so he straightened himself out and approached Thor to see what was going through his friend's mind. Thor grabbed one of the soda liters and set it down on the counter as he sighed.

Tony was taken aback. Thor was the kind of person that would never hesitate to speak his mind, instead of waiting around he would grab his hammer and break through anything in order to get to the bottom of the problem. He was the first to march head on and face the problem but this was no Thor he had ever seen. This was Thor facing a problem he could not find a solution to.

Tony loved finding solutions. He was, as he repeatedly said himself, one of the best people around to solve any problems and if his friend needed help he was sure to try his best to help.

"Am I doing the right thing? I feel as I will be handing him over to rabid wolves that will just bite instead of show any kind of sentiment towards him."

"Ah," Tony said, "Thor, I don't pretend to know what problems you and your family have but we have spoken a few times about what happened. How he threw himself off the bridge, how there was a feast. I don't pretend to know your father but from stories you have told us and even those Loki has talked of I can't help but feel that…" Tony paused, he wanted to be his snarky, no-filter-because-this-needs-to-be-said self but he wanted to tread carefully since he knew Thor loved his family but deep down he felt he loved Loki more.

"Thor," Tony decided against fearing offending the Asgardian before him, "Thor, you were the favorite, you were the one who no matter how busy your dad was he would always make time for you. When your brother went to show your dad something he had made or learned, I can't remember what it was Loki told me, he was told his dad was busy. You were never treated as equals. Your brother was treated like some sick puppy that just needed a little bit of love but he was denied it. Except for you."

The massive Asgardian began to breathe heavily, his eyes searched Tony's wanting to tell him he was wrong but Thor had to face the fact that Tony was right. "How could I have been so blind?"

"Hey, don't blame yourself. Pat yourself in the back and know that of all the people up in Asgard at least _you_ were and are still kind to him. In most ways you act more like his father than his brother. Why else would he have run up to your room last night after having a nightmare? Even as a grownup he still, subconsciously, looks to you as an authority figure, as a father figure. You're both a father and an older brother to him. Don't blame yourself, big guy."

"And if you really feel that Loki is in any danger when you get there tomorrow all you have to do is come back." Tony reassured with a warm smile. "This morning I told Loki that as soon as he was released he was more than welcome to come back and stay with us."

Thor's face lit up as he heard those words. His fears were made solid and present before his very eyes. No one in Asgard had said anything of that sort to Thor after Loki had fallen. In all retrospect he was barely mentioned and when he was it was by mockery and insults of Frost Giants and traitors and monsters.

"Do you really mean this, Tony Stark?"

"I promise. Hey, the little slugger actually managed to get us to like him and I have a feeling he likes us as well."

Thor immediately hugged Tony who groaned as the giant Asgardian squeezed him, "Thank you for your kindness towards my little brother." Thor's words were laced with such sincerity and such heart that Tony pushed down the lump that had gotten caught in his throat.

That night after watching several movies, they lost count after the sixth movie; they all retired to their rooms to rest for the night. However, Loki had sheepishly followed Thor to his room and as soon as he saw his brother in the doorframe he was more than happy to let him sleep over once more.

Loki seemed to have fallen asleep quickly but Thor was still plagued by uncertainty. He tried to fight it but he knew deep down that returning to Asgard was not the safest thing for Loki. Eventually sleep slithered its way to Thor and as he slept he also dreamt.

Thor opened his eyes and he was back in Asgard. It was strange to say the least, there was no one around and there was no sound at all. He tried to speak but no sound came from his throat. He then decided to walk back to the throne room to see if his parents were there but as soon as he arrived he found the great hall, which was usually teeming with life, empty.

Thor sighed deeply but as he turned to his side he saw Loki standing before the great golden doors leading outside. Thor quickly gave chase but Loki ran away. Thor tried to catch up but his bulkier frame was no match against Loki's smaller and slimmer frame when it came to speed. Eventually Thor caught up to Loki and saw he stood in the middle between dozens of Asgardians who jeered and at him and on the other side were his teammates ushering Loki to their side.

Thor looked at the scene before him and saw his brother was suddenly in chains and gagged. Tears streaming down his faces as he desperately tried to reach for Tony and the others. Thor ran up to his brother and tried to break the chains but it was no use. He looked up at his brother with lament in his eyes as tears built up. Loki looked past his brother and onto his teammates, he then shifted his eyes to Thor's and then back to the mortals to which Thor now looked and saw a rip behind them.

One by one they entered the rip, most likely returning to Midgard, but each of them had a sad look upon their face, even Clint. Thor was now breathing heavily and then he turned his gaze to his brother. He gently placed a hand on his pale cheek and placed his forehead on his. After a few minutes Loki urged him to follow the mortals but before doing so he placed a kiss on Loki's forehead.

Thor walked backwards, refusing to turn his back on his brother and the further away he got the more violent the crowd behind Loki became. They shoved him, punched him, hit him with clubs and spears but as much as Thor wanted to run to him the rip was pulling him through and seconds before being completely pulled in he reached out for Loki and Loki reached out to Thor.

Thor suddenly sat up on the bed. There were tears streaming down his face and in a move of disbelief Thor placed a hand on his cheeks and when he pulled his hand away it was wet. He turned to his side and saw Loki was still asleep. When he saw his brother sleeping so peacefully he could not help but cry as he lay back down and tightly hugged his little brother. Thor drew him close until his bearded chin was over Loki's head and continued to silently cry.

The following morning there was a somber atmosphere engulfing the mansion. No one laughed; no one made jokes or jabs or ribbed anyone. Breakfast was awkward, at best. There was a heavy and burdening feeling spread between the residents, shifting glances, shallow breathing, no words, no smiles, tears held back for the sake of maintaining a shaky balance.

Clint looked to the rest of his teammates, even he dared not to glance in Loki's direction much less Thor's. He felt no genuine need to glare at the god of lies, not when his eyes carried a tone of regret or even what he thought was sadness. Clint watched Loki's movements. They were clumsy, loose and lacking any effort. Usually Loki was one to sit up straight, never placed his elbows on the table, carefully cut his food in small pieces, as opposed to Thor who just stabbed his food with a fork and engulfed his meal in a single bite. It was like watching a cobra try to swallow an ostrich egg. Loki was well mannered and would always wait to swallow his food before speaking. Not even Jan was that articulate.

Clint looked at Loki sitting at the table between Jan and Thor. His left arm was ever so casually placed on the table, he was slouching, his face mere inches from the plate, the fork in his hand was loose and held awkwardly like he lacked even the energy to hold up a simple fork, his eyes wandering over the bacon and pancakes, which remained barely picked at.

It was mostly sad, Clint had to admit it. Just yesterday he was in the pool with this individual and the rest of his friends having a good time. The Loki from yesterday was completely different from the Loki sitting a few feet down from him. How Clint wanted to hate that man, he even missed thinking about strangling him in his sleep to spare them all any future grief and rid the world of one more villain but that hate, to his own surprise, was not as strong. He dared even think it was watering down.

Eventually Loki looked up and as if on cue looked to Clint. After locking eyes for a few minutes Clint no longer saw a supervillain bent on destroying the world or whatever it was villains so boldly stated they wanted to do nowadays. He saw a man in death row eating the last meal he will ever have. He saw a dying patient in a hospital bed as he slowly died alone. He saw a child abandoned on the side of the road left at the mercy of the world and whatever dangers it had to offer. He saw so much despair and hopelessness in those two sets of eyes, which looked down.

After the group finished eating breakfast they gathered on the roof of the mansion to say their last good bye. Loki opened a rip big enough to transport his brother and himself back to Asgard. This time however, there were no chains on his ankles or wrists and no gag. As Loki lowered his trembling hand Thor caught it and Loki looked to his older brother and Thor looked back in a gesture to let him know everything was going to be all right, even if the thunderer did not believe it.

Loki looked back at the group, he wanted to hide behind them, he actually felt the urge to beg and plead his brother not to return him to Asgard. He wanted to stay with his brother and the mortals where he felt safe and actually felt wanted and cared for.

He denied such pleads and swallowed any and all sorrow he felt. He knew he had to go through with this task if he ever wanted to return to Midgard. He knew that any future he could hope to have there solely depended in his completing his sentence in Asgard. It was an act of redemption from his part, or at least the start of it.

"Let us return home, brother." Thor said as he placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "I swear to the very universe itself that I will stay to see you are not harmed." Loki simply nodded in silence.

As both Asgardians took several steps forward Loki grunted as he awkwardly shifted in his steps. He looked behind him and saw Jan had wrapped both arms around Loki's waist and buried her face on his back. The slightest sniffle escaped from her and in turn a tear and a gasp escaped from Loki. No one had ever wept for him. At least that he knew of.

After a few bittersweet minutes the rest of the group had actually come up and in what Thor perceived to be the single most surreal event he had ever witnessed in his life they had all circled his brother and embraced him in pats and hugs and reassurances that all will be well. Even Clint patted him in the back as he silently nodded at him and Loki returned the gesture.

Loki in turn returned the affection and in the gentlest motion wiped away the tears from Jan's eyes and gave her and the rest of the group a small smile. He then turned his eyes on his brother and both Asgardians walked through the rip as it silently and slowly closed behind them.

The ever vigilant Hiemdall kept his eyes in and around the very fabric of existence. He barely knew of the word surprise or what it entailed. It was no wonder the towering god did not flinch when a rip solidified before his very eyes. He kept a close watch however, mostly because one of the two beings walking through the rip was not to be trusted.

As Thor and Loki walked through Thor raised a hand in a greeting gesture towards the watchful god to which Heimdall returned the gesture. Loki merely looked at Heimdall, not really giving a greeting, not scowling, not really doing much except for plainly looking at Heimdall. How Loki wished that the brave Heimdall had the gift of fortune telling. Maybe then he would feel more at ease to know how his father would react to seeing him once more.

Heimdall returned the gaze. He saw and heard everything. He knew everything. He reserved any judgment of the raven haired god and just observed.

As the duo proceeded to walk to the throne room they froze in their tracks as Odin the god king approached them, the Warriors Three and Sif steadily behind him. A cold chill crept up Thor's back as he looked upon his father's face; it was laced with a fury Thor had never been witness to.

"Father, we have returned home." Thor said as he and his brother approached their father. Odin merely stared. That cold, indifferent stare that made Loki uncomfortable enough to actually feel like throwing up. Thor's greeting went unanswered as Odin looked beyond his sons. He gripped Grungnir tightly in his massive hand, tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

"No, Thor, _you_ have returned home." Odin said as he stared down at his children.

"Father?" Thor questioned.

"This is the home of Frigga, this is the home of Thor, and this is the home of Heimdall, the home of Odin, the home of the Warriors Three!" Odin roared as he approached the brothers with quick haste and fury. Thor quickly placed himself between his father and his brother acting as a protective shield.

"This, however, is no longer the home of Loki the trickster!" The god king's words bellowed throughout the brothers. Loki shut his eyes tightly as he hid behind Thor. He grabbed at Thor's crimson cape and buried his face in it hoping and praying his father was merely expressing built up anger and did not mean the words that so casually slipped through his lips.

"Father, please, reconsider your words. Loki has—"

"I have grown tired of this malicious, imprudent pup and his scandalous actions and ways! To create mischief in the name of harmless pranks is one thing, almost destroying two realms would have earned him a certain death and I toned down his punishment but to scheme and plot against his own brother's life? This I will not tolerate! I forbid this!" Odin, in his fury grabbed Thor's left upper arm and pulled him away, tossing him to the floor and exposing Loki. He then proceeded to grab Loki by the throat, squeezed as tight as he could while lifting him off the ground.

As soon as Thor gathered himself he looked to Odin and shouted, "Odin, do not! Please, I beg of you!" The pleads went unanswered or even acknowledged as Odin continued to rage at his youngest son. "If you will not react to kind and gentle words perhaps it is in rage that you will finally react!" Loki was struggling slightly, mostly due to the fact that he could not breathe, not with Odin's massive hand so tightly clamped around his throat. As his father continued to yell he opened his eyes and tears fled his eyes as he looked to Thor.

Odin was surprised to say the least, he kept his surprise internal as to not show any signs of flinching at the sight of his youngest weeping in pain, most likely both physical and emotional. Loki let out a cough and felt the pressure in his head tighten.

"Everything you whisper to lies in ruins eventually, you never care, and you never love. Everything around you, all around you is nothing more than an opportunity to benefit you and you never cease to think of the consequences of those beings you easily trample! No more, no more will your poison infect our home and our lives!" Odin squeezed his hand tighter and in his fury he slammed Grugnir in the floor of the bifrost.

"You no longer have a home here! You no longer have family! Bastardized by Jotunheim and now Asgard! Prince to no throne, heir to no one! You are no longer welcome here!" Odin's roaring words pierced through Loki and Thor as easily as any blazing spear or sword could. Thor protested even as the Warriors Three and Sif tried their hardest to contain him and hold him back. Loki no longer struggled.

Odin looked in his youngest eyes; tears still flowed even if everything behind them was dead. The vibrant green turned a dark hue and they simply dropped to the ground as he no longer moved. The only indication that he was still alive was the shallow breathing.

With his other hand the one eyed king created a rip behind Heimdall and as he carefully watched the watchful god he said, "Should Loki Odinson ever set foot in this kingdom ever again he is to be killed on sight."

"All-Father, he is your child!" Thor roared in protest, unable to believe the order Odin gave. Even the Warriors Three and Sif gasped. Heimdall himself took a step back but acknowledged the king's order with a nod. Loki never reacted, safe for the thicker stream of tears free falling from his red stained eyes. Odin placed one last look into his youngest eyes and in one swift move he tossed Loki through the rip and without over thinking or glancing at anyone else Thor gave chase to find his brother. As Thor's cape vanished the rip closed behind him and Odin silently stood, watching where the rip was.

"Leave us." The All-Father instructed to the warriors behind him and as they bowed they shuffled casually away. Most likely to discuss the recent events they were witness to. Odin turned his gaze to Heimdall, his expression was devoid of any emotion or to the less talented it would have seemed that way. Odin's single pupil held more regret in it than his entire body could hold. With Grungnir ever so slightly shaking in his hands he looked to the watchful god, quite possibly trying to find a way to say something. Heimdall beat him to it.

"May I speak freely, my liege?"

"I see no harm in it, brave Heimdall." Odin said as he watched the watcher.

"I see and hear everything; nothing escapes my eyes and ears. Not the sound of thundering feet in march for war. Not the sound of swords sharpening. No one can escape my wandering eyes, nor think to pass unnoticed past me. No silent assassin with hopes of victory. None escape my notice." Heimdall paused but for a minute before looking the All-Father in the eye. "I also see and hear other things, smaller things, things that go unnoticed. Like the sound of a heart slowly dying or seeing a body so overwhelmed with pain no amount of herbs or spells or medicine can offer any comfort. It is terrible to witness such an event."

Odin took in the words Heimdall so carefully chose and as they swirled around in his head he began to see what Heimdall was really trying to communicate. He slightly nodded and turned to return to his chambers.

"My king?" Heimdall asked and Odin froze in his tracks. "Does your last order still stand?"

"No. Not even the greatest amount of anger and fury could possibly sway me to have my own children butchered. But I will ask that you watch. No matter what happens I want a daily report of his doings no matter what they may be. Leave no detail out." With that the god king retrieved to his chambers and the watchful god returned to his post.


	8. Chapter 8

**WARNING:** This chapter will contain torture and I do believe it's pretty graphic.

**Chapter 8:**

When Thor returned to Midgard he materialized in front of Tony's mansion and as soon as he gathered his bearings he nearly knocked down the door as he tried to find his brother. He searched high and low and in every corner he could find until turning the entire mansion upside down. Eventually he remembered the disembodied voice of Stark's butler.

Thor looked about as if trying to find something to at least direct his voice to but he eventually gave up and said, "Jarvis, has my brother been in here?"

"My apologies, sir, he has not been here since you both left. Would you like me to contact Mr. Stark or anyone else?"

"Yes, please, with haste." Thor whispered as he looked to the roof as if speaking to some form of a celestial being. He never accustomed himself to speaking to Jarvis. He had no time to lose, he knew Loki was not in a healthy state of mind and he feared any reaction that came from him. He also worried about him; he could not shake from his memory Loki's eyes as his father basically casted him out as if he was nothing more than a dog.

Thor figured that his teammates would return with haste at the dire news of recent events and running through California like a madman was not going to help the situation much less would it help find Loki in time before he did something or something happened to him. As uneasy as it made him feel he sat down in the middle of the room facing the front door and waited.

Seconds turned to minutes, twenty minutes passed, thirty minutes passed, forty-five minutes passed until Thor eventually lost track of time. The situation was looking dire indeed and the thunder god knew that the more time passed the greater the risk. It was a situation that called for patience and waiting and neither were choices he wished to participate in.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"So," Fury's tone matched his face, stripped of any emotion, "Came back for round two. Getting your ass kicked once wasn't enough for you?"

Now his tone was brandishing a mock with a hint of confidence and while Loki did not appreciate it he said and did nothing. He merely looked past Fury and the four ex-military brutes behind him. Their faces were adorned by smiles that made Loki feel uneasy and deep down he knew they were there for a specific reason but what that reason was he was unaware of. Yet he stared blankly into space as the events from some time ago replayed in his head. He remembered every word and even worse how they felt.

Fury had found Loki's behavior odd, he neither protested, spoke or tried to run away when he had been captured by the Black Widow. He had obediently walked in with her, his gaze never leaving the ground. Fury and Natasha just figured he was up to something, had a trick up his sleeve and so doubled the security in the building.

Fury got closer and examined Loki, his one eye fixated on Loki's red rimmed eyes, wondering if he had been actually crying or putting up a display of crocodile tears for show. In a low whisper the director said, "Why are you here?"

No response, at least not visible or auditory. The back of Loki's throat tightened and the underside of his eyes burned as tears formed.

"Where is your brother?"

"I don't know." Loki whispered.

"And your father?"

"He left me…" Loki answered with a shuddering breath as some tears fled. He was no longer able to hold back his tears especially at the mention of his brother and father.

"_Crocodile tears. Smug son of a bitch."_ Fury thought as he stood straight. He nodded as he tried his hardest to sustain his anger. He was sure Loki was up to something but just what that was he was not sure of but he was certainly going to find out.

"Get some answers," was all Fury said as he turned to the four brutes behind him. He turned to Natasha and said, "Follow me." Natasha nodded and followed Fury as he led her out of the small windowless and miserable looking cell.

As soon as the door closed and they heard a loud clanking noise, the door being locked, the four brutes approached and circled Loki. One of them, a tall and muscular man with red hair, brown eyes and a thick Irish accent grabbed Loki's hair and tugged at it down so his green eyes could meet his brown eyes.

A smile formed on the man's face as he traced the trail of falling tears on Loki's face, "Oh, lad," the Irish man said, "You wouldn't want to be wastin' any tears." The Irish man let go of Loki's hair and a sharp pain exploded over the back of his head. Loki let out a groan and swayed sideways but soon lost control of his knees and hit the ground hard. His vision was fading but beforehe blacked out the red haired man slammed his fourteen sized boot on Loki's neck and coldly said, "Not _yet_ anyways."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A freezing splash of water woke Loki up. He jerked his head sideways and coughed as wet hair dripped in front of his face, he focused on the four men in front of him. The ringleader placed a cigar in his mouth and knelt down on one knee in front of Loki. As soon as Loki met his eyes the man lowered his cigar and blew some smoke at Loki's face.

Loki held his breath as the smoke cleared. As soon as it did he tried to move his arms but found he could not. Loki slightly shifted and focused on his surroundings. He was sitting on a wooden chair, his hands had been tied behind his back but not to the chair, the cuffs had been tightened so much Loki could feel as the cold metal dug into his wrists. His coat and boots had been removed and placed in the corner of the small cell. As his eyes wildly searched the area the ringleader stood up and chuckled.

"You know," said the ringleader, "We were ordered by Fury to question you, kind of slap you around if we thought you were lying. Usually we interrogate people but sometimes we get to have some _real_ fun and we get to do some seriously sick shit but we never get to push the envelope. Something about uh, human rights."

The man inhaled some smoke from the cigar and exhaled as he spoke, "You bein' here in our care is a delight, sunshine. Now we get to play and we have no need to hold back because you're not _human_. So yes, we will be askin' you some questions but we'll be doin' it our way, sweetness." He turned around to face the men and said, "Axle, get the black box."

Loki let out a quiet gasp which the ringleader heard and a smile formed on his face. Two of the brutes left the room, most likely to retrieve the item they were ordered to fetch. The remaining man approached the leader and spoke, a similar yet different accent on his lips, "How do you want to start, Gage?"

"Let's start with a little foreplay." Gage said as he passed a hand on Loki's face. Loki shuddered as he pulled away from Gage's hand and the uneasy feeling he felt from the touch. Gage chuckled as did the other man.

Gage stood up and walked over to an operating table slightly behind Loki. Loki turned to see where the man had gone but he could only see with the corner of his eye. Gage shifted several metallic items but Loki was not able to see what they were. When Gage approached Loki's eyes drifted to the man's hand and saw a metallic blood stained tool, bloodied for the effect of instilling fear on their victims. It was working.

Gage moved to kneel behind Loki and he roughly pulled his bound arms down. He opened his hand forcefully and tightly gripped Loki's right thumb. The other man held Loki down by his shoulders, digging his fingers into his shoulders painfully.

Loki began to tremble as he felt a cold pressure digging under the nail of his thumb. He gasped loudly as the tool clamped down on and under the nail.

"Are you plotting another attack on Earth? Is that why you're here?" The other man asked loudly as he sunk his fingers deeper into his shoulders.

Loki took a deep breath and spoke, "No, I'm not."

Gage looked up at the other man and asked, "You buy that Jake?" His tone was mocking.

"I would but…" Jake turned to Loki and in a sing-song screeching voice added, "Aren't you Loki god of mischief and lord of lies?"

Loki slowly turned his head and glanced hatefully at his captors. It was not because they did not believe him, he knew holding the title of "god of lies" would render him as untrustworthy. It was the mocking that made his blood boil and his eyes turn feral.

Gage and Jake looked at each other in amusement and Jake said, "That looks like hostility, Gage."

"And we don't like hostility, do we, Jake?" Added Gage.

"No, we don't, Gage."

Gage pressed the tool and with all his strength pulled and ripped about a quarter of Loki's thumb nail. At the same time Loki groaned in pain. He was damn sure not going to let them hear him screaming in pain since that seemed to be their goal. After groaning he frantically yelled out, "I'm telling the truth! I'm not lying!"

"How are we going to believe you when every word out of your mouth is a lie?"

"I have no reason to lie!" Loki shouted.

Gage grabbed the tool and placed it in Loki's index finger's nail and ripped it out. Loki was trying to hold back a scream but he was failing. The groan that he let out was beginning to sound like a scream. Eventually Gage ripped out the rest of the nails from his right hand and by the time he had ripped out his pinky's nail Loki had given up trying to portray a strong front and resorted to screaming in pain.

After Gage was done Loki was afraid he would move onto his left hand but Gage tossed the tool on the floor in front of Loki. When he laid his eyes on the tool he swallowed hard when he saw the fresh blood. His blood.

"Why are you here?" Jake asked as he leaned on the operating table while crossing his arms over his chest. Loki had not even noticed when he had let go of his shoulders.

"I was banished…" Loki merely whispered. Those words stung him.

"We can't hear you, love. You'll have to speak louder." It was now Gage's turn to taunt.

"I was banished." The sting turned into a burn as Loki repeated the words slightly louder.

"Louder!" Gage had leaned down and screamed into Loki's left ear causing him to flinch.

Loki inhaled as he tried to steady himself in order to repeat the sentence, "I was banished! I can't go home, I have no home!"

"So that means that daddy can't save you now, and it also means that your brother doesn't know where you are either." Gage's tone lowered. "How very interesting."

Gage placed one of his gloved hands on Loki's face and in a defiant display Loki shrugged back and hissed, "Don't touch me!"

Gage's eyebrows met in the middle and as his eyes narrowed he grabbed Loki's throat and squeezed as he said, "I'll do whatever the fuck I want to do to you!"

As Gage let go Jake walked up to Loki. His eyes flew up to the cordless drill roaring in Jake's hand. At that moment Loki began to breathe heavily as he kept an eye on the drill. Jake left his finger on the trigger as he lowered the drill down to Loki's left thigh. Loki began to breathe more erratically and Jake just stared as he slowly drove the drill into Loki's thigh.

The scream from Loki was deafening and it got louder as Jake moved the drill in and out of the injury. This went on for about twenty minutes and as much as he wanted to beg for mercy Loki would not. Not out of some misplaced sense of pride but because he knew it would not matter to these butchers.

Eventually Jake drilled into Loki's other thigh and then moved onto his hip. When the drill hit the bone Jake leaned his entire body weight into the drill causing Loki to scream at the top of his lungs. By this time tears were involuntarily falling from his eyes, he was breathing unevenly and the pain was causing his body to tremble.

Jake removed the drill as Gage came up to Loki with a small cup and a bigger cup containing a liquid of some sort. Gage held the cup up to Loki's lips and he sniffed the liquid. It was sweet, far too sweet. The other larger cup seemed to contain water.

"Open your mouth." Gage barked loudly but Loki slowly shook his head.

Jake revved up the drill a few times as he drew it close to Loki's left eye. When the drill stopped Loki saw blood and bits of flesh on it. He gave out a horrified gasp.

"Either you open your mouth or I'll drill your eyes out." Jake said as he drew the drill closer but Loki obeyed.

Gage grabbed Loki's chin and lowered his jaw as he tilted his head back and poured the liquid into Loki's mouth. As soon as the overly sweet tasting material was swallowed Gage then made Loki swallow the cup of water. After ten minutes Gage and Jake took several steps back and several seconds later Loki leaned forward and vomited. Loki had been fed a couple of ounces of ipecac syrup. As the vomiting ceased the door opened and the other two brutes walked in accompanied by a black box.

The two men placed the box on the operating table and Gage and Jake joined them. After a few minutes of tinkering one of them, a tall heavy set man, with brown hair and dark blue eyes approached Loki. He had on some surgical gloves and in his hand he held a syringe with a clear liquid sloshing around inside.

The man leaned in and slowly pushed the needle into Loki's neck. As he did the man spoke, a very heavy Ukrainian accent in his voice, "This is Fosamax. Medication for treating , very _ineffective_. Doctors thought it was good but seven out of ten patients experienced severe bone, joint and muscle pain all over body. We add drug to make sure ten out of ten experience agonizing body pain."

When the man finished talking he roughly removed the syringe and walked back to the table. Loki just watched while a whimper escaped his throat. Jake turned around and revved up the drill and as he drew closer Loki began to hyperventilate and whimper loudly. As Jake approached Loki began to thrash as much as he could in the chair. With one hand Jake held down Loki's right leg and with the other drove the drill into his knee. Loki continued to thrash but now he was screaming.

Thankfully this lasted about eleven seconds but when Jake moved back Gage came up to him with the same cups as before only this time they were overflowing. Gage pulled Loki's hair back and emptied the cups into Loki's mouth and as soon as he swallowed the water Gage pressed his hand on Loki's mouth and held it in place.

The vomit had nowhere to go and as Loki chocked on it Gage laughed. "Feel that? That's what feeling helpless is like." As if Loki had never felt helpless before, though he would never admit it. "That feeling is the same feeling all of your victims felt."

"Alexei, is it ready?" Jake called out.

"Yes, it is."

As Loki chocked on his own vomit his thrashing slowed so Gage removed his hand and Loki coughed the vomit out. It landed all over him, the chair and the floor. Loki continued to cough and as soon as he stopped he lowered his head and closed his eyes. His breathing never slowed down and even if it was not noticeable his blood pressure was dangerously high.

Everyone in the room turned to the door when they heard it open. The Black Widow stood in the doorframe, a serious and emotionless expression over her face.

"Gentlemen," stated Natasha, "Everything in order here?"

"All in order, agent Romanoff." The fourth man, Axle, said, he had no accent clearly indicating he was a local.

Natasha laid her eyes on Loki and as soon as their eyes locked he quickly lowered his gaze. Part of him wanted to call out for help but doing so would elicit no compassion, no desire to help and no actual help so he resigned to lowering his gaze and hoping it would all be over soon. Natasha walked closer to Loki and in a surprise move to both of them Loki flinched as she drew closer.

Natasha inspected him closely and after a few minutes of staring down at him she turned to Gage and asked, "Any answers yet?"

"He said he was banished from Asgard. Not sure how true that is." Gage obediently answered.

"That's the thing about pathological _liars_." Natasha turned to look at Loki but this time he kept his eyes locked on hers. She saw something in them she had not expected to see but she continued, "You never know when they speak the truth."

It was at that moment that all hope had left Loki and as that hope fled he closed his eyes and lowered his head, a single tear dropping from his eyes as he accepted the fact that he might die in that small miserable cell. As he froze he began to feel some pain building up from his core.

Natasha stared as she felt her stomach drop. There was something about the situation that made her feel uneasy. It was a mixture of having found Loki walking down the sidewalk in the middle of the day as if he had been merely taking a stroll to clear his head, having brought him in so easily without a fight or a struggle; he never even said a word. This second thought was null and void because when they first dealt with him he had voluntarily been captured but it was to get closer to Bruce but Bruce was nowhere near them. She deduced that being easily captured was not part of any plan; she even went as far as to think he had no plan. Still she was cautious; this was a man she or anyone else could not trust.

What really stuck out was the look in his eyes, or the feeling they gave out and all she read over his eyes and face was utter devastation. She nodded at Gage and made her way out of the cell and as soon as the door closed she reached for her phone and dialed a number. After a few rings a man answered but Natasha was still searching for the right words.

"I'm a little busy, Nat. What's up?" Clint had answered.

"Clint…we found something."

"Found what?" There was a long pause as Natasha tried to gather her thoughts. She was still unsure of why she had called Clint in the first place.

"I…SHIELD just captured someone and I think you should know who it is."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Loki had been placed on top of the operating table. Jake and Gage were holding Loki's legs down while Axle held him down by his shoulders and Alexei hovered over his midsection. Alexei made a deep and wide laceration across Loki's stomach with a scalpel. The stinging sensation was not so terrible but the pain, which was accentuated by the Fosamax, was beyond anything he had ever expected. Loki took deep breaths as Alexei put the scalpel aside.

Alexei looked at Loki as he hovered a hand above the fresh cut. In one swift move Alexei inserted three gloved fingers into the laceration and Loki thrashed about wildly and yelled in pain. After the initial yell he took deep gasps but found it difficult to breathe.

"Are you planning another attack?" Gage asked.

"No!" Loki gasped, "No, I'm not!"

Alexei drove his hand deeper into the wound until he felt an organ beneath his fingers. He dug deeper until he was able to grasp said organ, his stomach, and squeezed and Loki screamed as loud as he could.

"Why do you insist on lying? It'll only make things worse, lad."

"I'm not lying!" Loki yelled. His voice was now hoarse from screaming, "For once in my life I'm telling the truth!"

Alexei kept squeezing and Loki kept screaming in pain. After a few minutes Axle let go of Loki's shoulders and retrieved to the end of the operating table where the equipment was and came back with yet another cup of ipecac syrup and water. Loki ingested the syrup and water as he heard the drill power up once more.

There was nothing left in his stomach so the vomit consisted of the syrup and stomach acid which burned his throat and mouth when it was expulsed.

It turned into a routine. They made him drink the syrup and after he would vomit they used the drill on him and this continued for about forty minutes until they ran out of syrup. They questions stopped as well and it had turned only into torture.

As soon as the syrup was finished Gage grabbed a roll of duct tape and walked towards Loki. He ripped out a piece and slapped it over Loki's mouth as he said, "If you think chocking on your own vomit was bad then you ain't seen nothing yet, sunshine." Gage's tone turned dark as he grabbed Loki by the throat and slid him off the table. When Loki hit the floor he had the wind knocked out of him and a loud and pained whimper was heard coming from him but it just made the four men laugh.

Loki was dazed but still conscious. He saw Gage approach him with something small and metallic in his hand but he could not make out what it was. Gage bent down and grabbed Loki by his hair and sat him up so they could face each other.

"This is from every single person you killed."

What Loki heard next was almost alien. He heard a solid thud and a sudden excruciating pain washed over him. He looked down and saw a long scalpel buried into his chest, over his right lung. Loki tried to take a deep breath but found it not only agonizingly painful but almost impossible. He could only manage small gulps which were not enough to supply him with enough air, especially in his state of panic.

When Gage let go of his hair Loki fell back and as he hit the ground his eyes went wide as he thought, _"Is this what he felt?"_ He was obviously thinking of Coulson and how this agonizing pain must have been what the mortal felt when he had been run through with the business end of the staff. It was agonizing.

Everything slowed down and muted. He barely noticed when Gage pulled the scalpel out, much less noticed when the four men had gathered and then approached him with pipes, bats and wrenches. He merely laid there with his eyes staring at the ceiling, thinking about each of his victims, writhing in pain while thinking and lamenting every lost life by his hands and actions, internally apologizing to each.

For the next ninety minutes he was savagely beaten as he lay on the floor, accepting the brutally as his comeuppance. He felt the muscles bruise and swell, felt flesh part and bones crack and not once did he protest or attempted to defend himself. They used the bats, the pipes and the wrench occasionally kicking him, especially over the stomach and chest. The blows were not enough it seemed, the four men also took to screaming at him, telling him he deserved everything that had been done to him, mocking him, and screaming that his father was right to throw him out. Loki eventually passed out from the pain especially after the blow to the back of his head with the plumber wrench.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

There was a storm brewing, fitting to Thor's mood but it was not his doing. About two hours after he had arrived the front door swung open and Steve and the rest of the team barged in. Steve knelt beside his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder as he calmly said, "Is everything okay? We got a call from Jarvis but we were pinned down and couldn't make it out till now."

"No, my friend," Thor's tone was unusually calm but somber, "All is not well."

The rest of the group came towards Thor to consul him; he looked ill at ease and troubled. Tony dragged a chair over to Thor and sat down next to the god of thunder. "Come on, big guy, what happened? You can tell us."

"Father…has banished Loki from Asgard. He was disowned and cast out. We were never even given the opportunity to speak our minds and no matter how much I protested he insisted on casting him out. Forever." The group remained quiet mostly due to being stunned by Thor's words.

"Father has also made it law that if Loki should ever return he would be put to death." Thor continued and the group protested. Clint himself was uneasy by what Thor was speaking but the blow to the chest came when the thunderer described how Loki reacted and how his own father screamed hate filled words at him as he strangled him out of anger. Clint was going to ask something but his cell phone began to ring, reminding him he had a voice mail. While taking care of a problem in northern California he had received a call from Natasha but she had been cryptic about something. Eventually he had hung up the phone before she could finish and after hanging up she called once more but this time leaving a very detailed message. Clint backed away from the group and checked the message.

"So where's Loki?" Bruce asked as he looked to the Asgardian, genuine concern splashed across the good doctor's face. Thor silently shook his head as he lowered his gaze, trying to hold back a flurry of emotions.

"I know where he is."

Everyone in the room turned to Clint who stood before the group holding his cell phone close to his ear and a wild look in his eyes. Thor's eyes widened, neither in joy nor hope but in fear. "I know where he is. Tony, Steve, Bruce and I will go get him. The rest of you should stay here."

The room erupted in protests and questions and Clint would normally answer and concede but he knew Thor would kick in those overprotective instincts and would surely break a skull or two if he knew where his brother was. Clint raised his arms and waved them over his head as if to get the crowd's attention.

"Guys, please, I know you all want to go, and especially Thor but I _really_ suggest the rest of you stay here. Thor, please, listen to me. Going there won't help the situation. We'll bring your brother back here, I promise, stand by me on this."

Thor wanted to protest but if it meant it would bring Loki back to him safely he was willing to rely on Clint. The thunderer agreed and the rest of the group agreed to stay behind as well. Clint led Tony, Steve and Bruce outside but told Tony to get a car. They were not going to go far and before Tony could turn to get his suit Clint told him to leave the suit behind.

Once outside and away from the ears of Thor Tony told Bruce to bring around one of the more spacious cars and then turned to Clint. "Why can't Thor know where Loki is and why can't he come with us?"

"It's…just better if he doesn't see what happened." Clint said.

"_Where_ is he?" Tony questioned in a serious tone. He hated being told half-truths and hated even more when people withheld information from him.

"Not far but we have to get him out of there _now_."

SHIELD was a lot of things and it surely painted a pretty and false picture of what it really was when it was of a convenience to them. They liked to portray a heroic picture of themselves while preaching peace and order but to those few who worked closely with them it was a fallacy of the worst kind. In truth SHIELD was a rabid, mangy wild dog posing as a house pet and once you were close it would close its jaws around its prey and it would use anyone until they fulfilled whatever task they needed.

SHIELD was no stranger to using questionable tactics when it came to dealing with their enemies and it did not stop them from lacking some humanity when dealing with interrogations. This was no surprise especially since they treated their allies with less class than the mob would treat anyone else.

Tony drove the car as fast as he could now that he knew where they were headed. He was furious. He and the rest of the Avengers wanted to stay as far from them as possible. The fact that their superiors unleashed a nuclear weapon on a city populated with innocent civilians was enough evidence to let them know SHIELD was not to be trusted. Not to mention that they lied to them and were in fact creating weapons of mass destruction.

How could they possibly be trusted to handle a man who was on the verge of a meltdown, who turned to self-harm and suicide?

Tony pulled up into the sidewalk of a tall building. It had no logo, no distinctive colors nor design but yet it reeked of SHIELD. If that was not enough the suits with the flow of "CIA spooks" walking in and out of the building would suffice. A guard walked up to Tony as he turned the car off and proceeded to walk to the back of his car and opened the trunk.

"Sir, you can't park on the sidewalk." The guard said in a rushing tone but Tony was not having any of it. He removed a crowbar from the car and handed it to Steve who caught it and followed Clint and Bruce while Tony closed and locked his car.

Tony then followed his friends towards the building but the guard kept chasing after Tony protesting but Tony turned to face the pudgy man and in a serious tone said, "Shut up! And if that car is towed while I'm in there I will find you and throw the Hulk at you." He said as he pointed to Bruce who was now entering the building. That was enough to get the guard to back away quietly.

Clint led the group inside the building and walked past a receptionist behind a desk who acknowledged Clint with a single nod. Anger echoed in their footsteps as they walked past several people who looked at them in puzzlement but they had no time for it. They never even stopped as some guards tried to stop them as they entered an elevator.

Once the elevator stopped they rushed past the doors with haste. Steve figured they were in some sort of basement but he was not interested in knowing exactly where they were, he just needed to get to Loki before something unfortunate would happen. They kept walking forward until Clint stopped to speak to a woman. Her short fiery hair spun around as she laid eyes on Tony, Steve and Bruce. She seemed surprised to have seen the three of them behind Clint but she said, "We found him wandering around the streets so naturally we brought him in for questioning."

"You wouldn't happen to have done anything _else_, would you?" Tony jabbed as he kept a stoic expression. Oddly enough the same expression Bruce and Steve had. Natasha found it odd but she divulged the information nonetheless.

"No. Director Fury's instructions were to get information from him not to harm him." Her voice trailed off as if to end the conversation there but foolishly added, "Not severely anyways."

That was all Tony needed to hear, his pace picked up and demanded to know where they were keeping him. Natasha informed him that he was being kept in a small cell at the end of the long hallway. Steve, Tony and Bruce picked up the pace further but Clint and Natasha remained in a calm pace. As far as they were concerned Loki deserved whatever had happened to him.

"_He was doing so well!"_ Tony thought to himself. He was angry about what Thor had told them and was angry that SHIELD had gotten their hands on Loki. It felt as if the universe was dead set on not sparing Loki any grief much less give him a proper chance to heal.

Steve reached the cell first, he knew the door would be locked but he could not help pushing it to see if it would budge anyways. Steve quickly turned to Tony who nodded so Steve took the crowbar and slammed it between the door and the frame. He pulled with all his might, Tony and Bruce helped as well. Eventually the door gave in Tony pushed it open but as soon as they stepped inside they took a step back as they covered their noses and looked around.

The small cell reeked of vomit and blood and as soon as their eyes adjusted to the dim light they could see the wooden chair in the middle. There was blood all over the chair and upon further inspection they could see some vomit as well. Bruce tapped Steve on the shoulder and when Steve turned around he saw Bruce pointing at the floor. There were dozens of puddles of bloody vomit on the floor and splatters of blood as well.

Tony gasped when he saw the operating table and some blood dripping down to the floor. Panic was starting to build up inside them. The vomit was a bad sign, the bloody vomit was worse but the amount of blood on the floor, table, chair and even walls was unnerving.

"Guys!" Bruce shouted as he ran to the operating table. Bruce sat on his knees and placed both hands on the floor as he leaned forward. Steve and Tony joined them while Natasha and Clint waited by the door.

Loki had somehow managed to crawl under the operating table, most likely to hide. He sat with his back against the wall and his knees pressed against his chest. They saw his eyes were closed so Bruce placed a hand on Loki's right knee and slightly shook him while calling him. "Loki? Come on, wake up."

When Bruce pulled his hand away he saw it was stained with blood. He gasped loudly but before they could react Loki let out a groan and slowly opened his eyes. Bruce slowly reached his hand to remove the tape from Loki's mouth but as his hand approached Loki's eyes went wide and he jerked back in fear as he whimpered.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's us." Bruce retracted his hand and held both hands up in surrender as he kept whispering, "Hey, it's me, Bruce. Remember?"

Tony and Steve moved up to try and roll the table so they could reach Loki. Tony grabbed one end of the table he looked down at Bruce and signaled to Loki and then at the table. Bruce got the message clearly so he turned to Loki once more and said, "You're okay, we're not gonna hurt you." Bruce leaned in and looked Loki in the eyes making sure to keep Loki's eyes fixated on him so he would not be startled as Tony and Steve rolled the table away.

"Everything will be okay. We're going to get you out of here and take you back home. Thor's at home waiting for you; he's worried sick about you. So are Jan and Hank."

As the table was rolled away the light from the ceiling made it possible to see the damage. Bruce carefully removed the tape as gently as he could and as he did he could feel as Loki trembled. Bruce's eyes surveyed the damage, which was plenty, his nose was broken, bottom lip was split, and both eyes were blackened. His face was bruised badly and he was bleeding from his nose and the gash on his bottom lip. He also noticed he was breathing strangely as if he was barely getting any oxygen into his lungs. There was also a small puddle of blood forming beneath him.

"Oh, my God." Tony exclaimed as he quickly turned to Natasha, his eyes were burning with anger. "You said he was only going to be questioned!" When Tony shouted Loki lowered his head, most likely flinching at the volume of Tony's voice.

"He was! It was nothing intense, nothing he wouldn't be able to handle!" Natasha retorted, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Oh! Well, excuse me, but does _that_ look like nothing "_intense_" to you?" Tony pointed at Loki and Natasha followed his hand. When she laid her eyes on Loki she frowned. Fury had ordered them to get some answers out of him not to torture him. This was unnecessary and pointless especially when he had walked in without causing any problems.

Clint leaned in as well and saw the wreckage. When he had walked in he had a smirk on his face but as soon as he saw Loki the color drained from his face as did the smirk. He could not look away much less believe what he was seeing. He figured Fury had sent in some big lug to slap him around a bit in order to get some answers and while he surely would have been aggravated he would have just walked away with a bruised pride and maybe some sore cheek bones. This shocked Clint to the point where he found himself slowly walking towards Loki to see the damage himself. It was then he had looked around and seen the vomit and the blood around the room.

Steve knelt in front of Loki and he stretched out a hand but Loki let out a shuddering whimper as he backed away from Steve's hand. Steve frowned as he backed his hand away and tried his hardest not to imagine what he had gone through in order to react that way towards people he knew were not going to hurt him.

"It's okay, we just want to get you out of here and take you home." Steve said gently. He reached for his shirt's sleeve and ripped it off. Once again he reached out to Loki but this time Loki did not back away. He slightly flinched as Steve wiped away some of the blood from under his nose. As he did Steve could not help but remember way back when he had seen something similar. He remembered this teenage boy they had found, he had been tortured and left for dead but by the time they reached the destroyed town and the boy it had been too late. They had arrived in time to watch as the boy slowly died of his injuries. Steve continued to clean off the blood and as he did a single tear managed to slither its way out of his right eye. It had been an angry and sad tear.

Bruce turned to Steve and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder but Steve continued to try and clean the blood. Bruce then turned to Loki, he tried to focus all of his attention on him but it was difficult with Tony and Natasha arguing loudly, Clint just standing there in disbelief and Steve most likely reliving memories from the war. It was a disaster. Bruce was beginning to feel that uncomfortable push in his core and it was a bad sign, he closed his eyes and as if negotiating with the Hulk he whispered to himself as he closed his eyes, "We need to remain calm. We _have_ to get him out of here and somewhere safe. He's hurt badly and you wrecking the building will not help. I know you're angry and want to crack some skulls, so am I. But please, I implore you, let _me_ handle this one."

Somewhere in the back of Bruce's head he heard a passive grunt, an agreeing grunt from the Hulk and he immediately opened his eyes, an inner victorious smile shun inside him. The feeling was not to last, he heard a broken and low voice begging.

"Please…no…not him…please…"

It was Loki, apparently Bruce's eyes had changed and when Loki saw he began to panic and with good reason. The last time he had interacted with Hulk he had been smashed into the ground. Bruce frowned at the sound of Loki's broken and sobbing voice but soon his eyes softened and a warm smile made its way to his face as he placed a hand on top of Loki's head. "Believe me, sport, he wouldn't have hurt _you_."

There was that word again. Loki had forgotten it and the many nicknames he had earned while staying with the Avengers. Suddenly his shoulders dropped and a sudden ease erupted from him. Bruce noticed so he took that opportunity to stand up and face the crowd in the room.

"Enough!" Bruce screamed and the rest of the room quieted down, "Natasha, whether we have your consent and help or not we're _going_ to get Loki out of here. He's hurt badly, he's bleeding all over the place and I sure as hell don't like the way he's breathing and I'm pretty damn sure all the vomit on the floor was his. Tony, get to the car and fix the front passenger seat so he can lie comfortably in it. Clint, we need the keys for these handcuffs, go get them. Natasha _if_ you do want to help go with Clint and help him search for some keys, otherwise get the hell out of the way. Steve, quit PTSDing and help me lift Loki off the floor. We're _leaving_!"

Tony could not help but smile ever so brightly, he perceived Bruce as a quiet and shy individual and to see him take the reins so passionately without the Hulk barging in and demanding control was an admirable sight to behold. Usually he would not take kindly to being told what to do but Bruce was right, the only thing that mattered at the moment was getting Loki somewhere safe and he had to admit he felt a strange sense out of watching Bruce walking tall with an air of confidence he had only seen the Hulk portray. He obeyed and quickly left to start the car and fix the seat.

Clint snapped out of his trance, yes, he still felt hatred, not as strong as before, towards Loki but what had been done to him was uncalled for to say the least. He knew where he could find some keys so he rushed out as quickly as possible.

Natasha was not going to argue and stop them, she was outnumbered and not by the amount of people in the room but by the Hulk. She nodded and went after Clint to help make the search easier and to admittedly retrieve the security tape from the cameras from the cell. She knew full well that everything that had gone on in that cell had been recorded and she wanted to—needed to know what went on.

Bruce turned to Steve who was standing over Loki and gently patting him on the head, most likely reassuring him that all was going to be all right. Both had to wait until Clint and Natasha would return with the keys to the handcuffs before they could move Loki and so they waited.

While they waited Bruce examined Loki further, his main concern was the wet wheezing sound he made whenever he inhaled. Every so often he would cough and his face would contort in pain as he did. Bruce was putting together the symptoms together and he did not like what it was pointing to. They were symptoms a person with a collapsed lung displayed and in his head he was already making note of all the material he would need to treat Loki.

"Steve, call Hank and make sure he's alone when you talk to him and tell him to make sure the medical room is prepped." The concern in Bruce's voice startled Steve.

"Is he okay?" Steve felt the question was ridiculous but Bruce would have to forgive him for it since he had no medical knowledge beyond what he was taught during the war which was no more than basics.

"No, he's _not_ okay."

At that particular moment Clint and Natasha walked in. Clint rushed over to where Loki sat with the keys in his hands. Steve and Bruce slowly and carefully lifted Loki up and once he stood up they had to hold him steadily. His knees and feet were swaying and as he stood he groaned loudly. Clint circled around him while fumbling the keys in his hands. He had heard Bruce's reply to Steve and figured time was not on their side. When he managed to finally get the handcuffs unlocked he tossed them aside and saw the bruised and swollen hands.

Clint grabbed one of his hands and slowly lifted it up so Bruce could see. When Bruce saw he was clearly angry, "What did they tie his hands with?"

"Handcuffs. They were on really tight, his hands are swollen." Clint said as he lifted one of Loki's arms and while swinging it over his shoulders to help keep Loki standing and moving. Bruce did the same as well and as he looked at his other hand he realized something.

"He could have superficial radial nerve damage. At least of all the injuries he has that one isn't as serious."

Natasha had gone to the corner to grabbed Loki's belongings and to hide the disk in her pockets. She was going to go over the video later during the night. Steve went ahead and opened the door but when he stepped outside he ran into four hard looking men clad in black much like Natasha. They were smirking and suddenly Steve found himself lifting his upper lip in anger, almost baring his teeth.

"Come to take our toy away, eh?" Gage taunted as he saw Bruce and Clint carrying Loki away. Thankfully Loki felt safe enough to not react to seeing them again. Steve now glared at them and began to square off at them to which they just chuckled and Axle said, "You do realize Fury is going to bury you people alive, right?"

Steve groaned loudly, in part the man was right but he was not about to leave anyone, regardless of past actions, behind to get tortured and beaten. Steve turned on his heels and began to walk away but it seemed the four men loved to pick fights. Gage cupped both hands around his mouth and shouted.

"Some god supervillian he turned out to be! Fucking faggot just laid there and took it!"

That did it for Steve. He quickly turned around and with a single blow to Gage's head he knocked the oversized Irishman down to the ground. As the man turned to look at Steve he saw the captain seething, nostrils flared and eyes so narrowed he could have sworn they had gone black.

"For every mark we find on him—"

"Steve, let's go!" Clint had stopped and saw what Steve did but he could not blame him since he heard what Gage had said and he knew why Steve did what he did. Steve glared at Gage as he turned around to join his friends. He knew there were more pressing matters to deal with and a violent reaction was not going to help them at the moment but it felt damn good to have at least knocked the man down to the ground. Steve hated bullies.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The group rushed, as fast as they could anyways, to the car which was still parked where Tony left it and there was no sign of the pudgy guard. Tony opened the front passenger door and between him and Clint managed to get Loki to sit. Once on the seat Bruce lowered the back part of the seat further to comfortably accommodate Loki. Tony placed a hand on Loki's chest to ease him down but as he lowered the injured Asgardian he turned to his side and leaned his head out of the car and violently heaved and coughed eventually vomiting on the sidewalk. The group backed away and to their horror they saw it was blood he had vomited.

Tony ushered the group to move quickly and once everyone was inside the car Tony sped off. He foolishly ran a few red lights but given the situation and the time it was a matter of getting to a certain point before the afternoon traffic would hit them hard and being trapped in the middle of a traffic jam with a severely injured man was not part of the options.

In what Tony perceived to be a miracle they reached the mansion, no cops pulled him over, no accidents on the road, and no traffic jams had slowed the drive. Before they could count their blessings there was the matter of how to deal with Thor. They all knew that as soon as Thor would lay his eyes on Loki he would definitely like to pay SHIELD a visit and exact the damage done to his brother. Along the way Tony contemplated a dozen different scenarios in his head and not one was good. He even thought using one of the tranquilizers on Thor to keep him from reacting would be a good enough idea but he did not bother with that or any other plan.

Once parked outside of the gate to the mansion Tony turned to Steve and told him to go ahead before the group to warn Thor of what was coming. Steve fidgeted a little but when he looked at the battered and bloody god in the front seat he nodded determinedly and marched into the mansion. Tony waited five minutes and after he saw no one came bursting through the front door he had the rest of the team help him bring Loki inside.

Every step was agonizing, every breath was painful and not one corner of his body did not ache and tremble with pain. He had been injured before, countless times in fact, but he had never gone through something like this before. Compared to this all his previous injuries were mild and minute and easily taken care of. This however was a brutality he thought he was not going to survive.

The walk from the gate to the front door was long and hard and he wanted desperately to just sit in a corner and just wait it all out but he wanted to get back to the safety of the mansion and he admitted to himself he needed to see Thor. It was not so Thor could see what had been done to him so Thor could roar into the sky and exact vengeance, revenge was a thought and an idea he had thrown away. At the start of his session with SHIELD's "finest" he was thinking up horrible ways he could torture the four men but after being tortured and talked down at he admitted he had been broken down and he admitted he had what was coming to him. He just needed to see his brother, his older, loving and protective brother who would surely keep him safe.

Tony stopped at the front door and as he gripped the doorknob he leaned in to see if he could hear anything. He did not but he still called out to Steve to make sure everything was all right. "Steve, how's everyone in there?"

"Bring him inside. Thor swore to remain calm." Steve yelled out though muffled by the door.

Tony took a deep breath, prayed to whatever was out there listening, gave Loki a warm and reassuring smile and opened the door. As the door swung open Tony closed his eyes, still praying Thor would not overreact and do something he and the rest of the group would later regret.

"What the hell did they do to him?"

Hank's question made Tony open his eyes but the first thing he saw was Thor charging towards them. The look on his face horrified the group. It was as if both rage and sadness fought to lay claim to Thor's face and in the process it contorted his face to an almost demonic demeanor.

Thor's default reaction was to grasp Loki and as he walked closer Bruce lifted a hand in protest and the Asgardian froze close to Loki. He looked at Bruce briefly but then moved on to see the bloody mess that was his brother.

"Brother…" Thor managed to finally say as he lifted a hand and very gently placed it on Loki's cheek. In turn Loki leaned in on Thor's hand seeking that well known warmth and comfort. As he leaned into Thor's hand he closed his eyes and a few stray tears wandered out.

Natasha had made her way into the mansion and stood near the two brothers, carefully examining their reactions, especially Loki's. It was inconclusive but for the moment she felt Loki's reaction was genuine.

Thor reached for his brother and helped Tony and Bruce to bring him over to the medical room. Once in the room Tony had finally relaxed as he saw Hank and Bruce feverishly caring for Thor's brother. Bruce had seen some of the initial injuries but even he was shaken when he saw the real damage.

Once Loki was laid on the operating table they removed his clothing and covered the obvious parts with his tunic. The group was horrified by what they saw. Loki was covered in now purple and black bruises especially over his chest and stomach; he had puncture wounds all over his torso, his right knee, both feet and shoulders. Clint gagged when he saw the laceration across Loki's stomach and Bruce's fear of a collapsed lung came true when he saw a deep and bloody wound over Loki's chest. This was going to be a long afternoon of trying to piece him back together but Bruce and Hank were determined.

Thor traced every injury as if trying to memorize them; it was painful to watch but the one thing that he had to admit caused him to shudder was Loki's wheezing breathing. It disturbed him to know he was having trouble breathing and as he looked on he became furious. He narrowed his eyes and marched straight to Natasha and in a booming voice he said, "I demand to know who is responsible for this butchery!"

"Whoa, big guy, take it easy now. We—" Tony quickly walked towards Thor but he was stopped.

"Silence, Stark!" Thor roared at his teammate unaware that his voice was causing everyone in the room to stir uncomfortably, including Loki.

"Thor?"

Thor looked to the operating table and saw Loki tiredly looking at his brother. He had extended an arm towards Thor and as soon as Thor saw him calling to him he rushed to his brother's side and grabbed his hand with one hand and placed the other on his forehead.

"Please…don't…go. Stay with me…" Loki's broken and breathless voice wretched Thor's heart. He wanted to break down SHIELD's front door and hunt down any and all who had a hand in hurting his younger brother. He would gladly bathe in their blood and present their skinned skulls to Loki as a present but he could not bear to leave his brother now that he asked for him.

"Brother, I—they must pay for what they have done!"

"No…seeking…vengeance will only…insight…more…vengeance. You need not…please stay with me…I need you _here_…"

Thor nodded and everyone in the room finally relaxed. Bruce, still in a confident and determined attitude, asked everyone to leave the medical room so Hank and he could work on getting Loki better again. Thor watched as the group left unsure if he would be able to stay with his brother as he had asked of him. Thor then turned to Bruce and almost timidly asked, "May I please remain here to watch my brother?"

Hank and Bruce looked at each other and in an amused fashion they both nodded while Bruce added, "Of course you can. Grab a chair and sit. This may take a while."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

It took exactly 5 hours and twenty-seven minutes to treat all the injuries on the trickster but after those grueling hours were over Thor was relieved to know that thanks to some medication all Loki would do is sleep. He asked his teammates to help him place Loki in Thor's room so he could keep a close eye on him himself. If need be Thor would gladly sleep on the floor. He also asked that they forgive his earlier outburst but he was told it was not necessary because deep down they all understood why he reacted that way and some even confessed that if they had been in Thor's shoes they would have done the same thing.

Thor then put his brother to sleep soundly and safely in his room, carefully tucking him in and making sure the pillows were extra fluffy and checking to see that the sheets and the room was cool and fresh. He then proceeded to sit on the other side of the bed to watch his brother and to keep him safe.

Loki slept for two days; Thor kept watch for two days.


	9. Chapter 9

**Note:** This chapter actually took a completely different approach. It was originally going to be very dark and morbid but I found it was far too triggering for me so I deleted the entire chapter and idea and went with something else. It wound up being fluffier than I had imagined but fluffy is not a bad thing.

This chapter deals with Loki finally getting better and he and Clint finally have a conversation. From here on out we'll see Loki developing and working on that low self-esteem of his.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 9:**

In her line of work Natasha was forced to know the difference between a nagging feeling and that distinctive feeling that would make the difference between life and death. She had become a master of her emotions and ruled over her instincts with a tyrannical grace. Years upon years she was able to call the right shot and had the good grace to know when something seemed out of place even if the rest of the world denied it.

For the past two days she found her grip on her emotions and instincts to waver and often times blur. She was surprised when she asked Steve, whom she perceived would be the least biased person in the house, how Loki came to be in their care and why they were so driven to protect him at all costs. They were acting almost as overprotective as Thor was.

Steve had admitted he was not present in Vegas at the time but he had sat down with Bruce and had gotten every detail from him. Steve gave her every bit of information and even had her swear she was not going to mention to anyone about Loki's second suicide attempt. As he gave her all the information she compared it to the "scarcely-put-together" psychological file SHEILD had on Loki and nothing Steve said matched what was on the file.

Natasha admitted to thinking he had formed some new strategy but it did not sound like something someone like Loki would do, even if he was desperate to reach his target. Steve then confirmed this confusion by saying that Thor, the only one qualified to actually make notes on Loki's behavior, had said Loki was not a person who would endanger himself. The Black Widow was confused, something that had not happened in a very long time.

"And that's it; you're all caught up on what's been happening here so far. I admit it's been…surreal, to say the least." Steve said as he took another sip of his sweetened coffee. While conversing with Natasha they had gone to the kitchen to fix themselves a fresh pot of coffee.

"Surreal? Try confusing. I'm sorry if I sound like I don't believe any of it but…" Natasha trailed off as she had gotten up to look for a spoon to stir her third cup of coffee. She found the utensils in a drawer but made a note of missing knives.

"Hmm, seems you people still don't trust him. No knives in the kitchen."

"We had to hide them, yes." A third voice spoke and when Natasha and Steve turned around they saw Tony walking into the kitchen. His eyes narrowing as he lustfully walked towards the fresh pot of coffee. He grabbed his favorite mug and poured the highly sought after substance as he continued his explanation. "We didn't hide them because we don't trust him. We had to hide them because he was using them inappropriately."

"I don't understand."

"When we brought him back home he sported two wounds that were not done by your goons. The bruise on his throat, which was courtesy of Odin the All-Fool and the cuts on his back, which were done by himself." Tony's voice turned bitter at the end and before saying something else he took a gulp of the coffee.

"Wait, wait, wait, you lost me there. You completely lost me. You're actually standing there, drinking coffee and telling me that someone as megalomaniacal as Loki has been indulging in self-harm?" Natasha's tone caught her by surprise, she was genuinely caught off guard and no matter how she tried to process the situation she could not make heads or tails of what Tony was telling her.

"Yeah, Nat, he's been cutting himself up. That's why there are no knives in the kitchen and all weapons are under heavier lock and key. And I'm pretty sure this great, big, blond bleeding heart over here told you of his two attempts. So when you report back to Fury tonight." Tony's eyes narrowed as he sunk his sight deep into her eyes. "I would appreciate it if you kept that bit of information to yourself. It's been hard but we have actually managed to get him to trust us and if you blab that will definitely not help anyone."

"If he gives me no reason to do so I will not." Natasha said as she returned the same gaze at Tony.

Steve was feeling the tension build up. He knew Tony did not fully trust Natasha; after all, she had once infiltrated his home under the guise of someone from "legal". Not to mention that they all knew why she remained in the mansion. They knew Fury ordered her to remain behind to keep a close watch on them.

"Guys, please, that's enough. Don't we already have enough on our plate that we have to be at each other's throats constantly? We worked brilliantly together a year ago, let's try and do so again."

Natasha sighed deeply and broke the gaze; she looked at Steve and nodded. "So what's the plan?"

"We get him better and we'll take it from there." That was Tony's reply. Short and to the point. That was his point; they had no real idea of what to do with Loki. He had nowhere to go and no one to turn to save for them and he had already made up his mind about letting him stay with them. Big decisions like that were voted on but Tony made the decision knowing full well that the only two people who would have a problem would be Clint and Natasha and just two opposing would render them outvoted.

"So…you're just going to keep him here?" Natasha asked. She was still unclear on what the Avengers' intentions for Loki were.

"Yeah," Tony said, "He can stay here. We don't mind."

"Fury will." Natasha added. "He'll mind."

"This is my house. Who I bring to my house is my business and mine alone." Tony's tone was dangerously hostile but before things could escalade Steve budged in by adding, "Look, Natasha, in a way Loki is still carrying out his sentence. He has been banished, just so happened to be here on Earth. He was stripped away of his home, his parents, and his title for God's sake. He has nothing left. Fury locking him away will just…destroy him. You'd be sentencing him for the same thing. Twice."

Natasha stood in silence as she contemplated Steve's words and finally looked up at the captain with a smile. "I thought _Loki_ was the silver-tongued trickster." They chuckled but Natasha continued. "Look, you make a valid point but Fury will be seeking Earth bound justice. The only reason why he never pursued the matter after Loki was taken away was because he thought Loki would have to answer to some form of justice. Seeing him here running freely as he pleases is not what he had in mind."

"Can't always get what you want, now can you?" Tony closed the subject with that sentence and as much as Natasha wanted to tell them it was foolhardy she deemed it futile since the group had become overprotective of Loki.

As if reverting the conversation back to something a little less stressful Steve commented on how atrocious the weather had become. It was true, the storm outside did not look like it was going to subside and the rain on the roof, walls and windows was loud enough to demand attention to it, not to mention the thundering. They continued to enjoy the coffee and eventually turned the subject around to something less sensitive. Tony and Natasha even wound up staying up later and talking about past occurrences in the time before Loki first left Earth and before he showed up again. He even made a few light jokes about the Hulk's horrifying aim when it came to hurling trucks at villains.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Around 11:50 at night the entire mansion had fallen into a warm silence, everyone had fallen asleep except for Natasha. Natasha had been tossing and turning on her bed and somehow her eyes always diverted back to her pants' pockets where the small disk containing the security feed of the cell Loki had been left in had been recorded on. When they had brought Loki back she had been determined to see what the video contained but with the current situation she had completely forgotten about it.

Knowing full well that she was not going to be able to sleep she rose from her bed, took the disk and walked to Stark's security room. Jarvis kindly let her in but warned her that all entries into that room were recorded but she agreed. She had nothing to hide.

As she sat down in front of over twenty monitors showing various parts of the mansion and rooms she took the disk in one hand and inserted it into the computer while typing some commands with her other hand. When the middle screen blacked out and suddenly displayed the security feed she sat still and focused on the screen.

"Nat? What are you doing here?" It was Clint's voice but she already knew that. She had seen him walking down the hallway and into the kitchen. He must have seen her walk out of her room and followed her.

"Watching the video feed from the security cameras in the cell." She said as she kept her eyes glued to the monitor. Clint shrugged and pulled up another chair beside her and both continued to watch the security feed. It was something both would later regret.

Natasha tried her hardest to keep her eyes on the monitor, she tried to keep her eyes fixated on Loki's face, to read his expression but as his face contorted in pain from the torture she found it hard. Clint was more expressive. He often looked away when the drill was brought up and he would utter curses under his breath when he heard the drill dig into flesh and bone. An occasional protest escaped him when he saw Loki vomiting. He had lost count after the eighth time Loki vomited.

Natasha, as stoic and cold as she tried to appear, closed her eyes when one of them had dug his fingers into the laceration on Loki's midsection. She kept her eyes shut while Loki screamed and when all was silent she watched the screen again. She actually flinched when she saw Loki was thrown off the table and let out a pained whimper as he hit the floor.

Clint was now turning on his side and placed a hand next to his eyes trying to cover his view. He could not take any more of it but he felt it was worse just hearing Loki screaming so he occasionally shifted his eyes back to the screen only to look away again.

They both sat through the ninety minute beating and before they could sigh with relief that it was over they saw the man holding the plumber wrench lift it as if it were a golf club and to their horror saw the man swing it at the back of Loki's head.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God, how the hell is he still alive?" Clint protested aloud looking at the monitor in horror. Natasha kept staring as the four men dropped the weapons and left the cell. Once they were gone she brought her eyes back at Loki, he was lying on the floor with this back towards the camera, and she could see blood oozing out of the back of his head and saw his cuffed hands twitching frantically. Clint fast forwarded the video and for a while it just showed Loki lying in the same position, not even moving a little.

"Wait, wait, back it up." Natasha said as she leaned in to get a closer look at the screen. Clint hit the rewind button and then pressed play. After a few minutes they saw Loki moving his head and heard him coughing and spitting, most likely throwing up again. After a few heavy heaves they heard a sound that made Clint look away and made Natasha close her eyes to try and hold back a tear but a few fled her eyes nonetheless. She was not made of stone no matter what anyone said.

The sound was Loki trying to catch his breath as he loudly sobbed and cried.

"Turn it off, Nat." Clint said as he rubbed his eyes, "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. I kind of feel sick."

"Would you blame them?" Natasha asked as she discreetly wiped away her tears.

Clint snorted and gave her a horrified look. He turned to her and as he pointed to the monitor he said, "Were you not watching? Christ, Nat, the only thing they didn't do was _rape_ him! No one should go through that, no one!"

"A year ago Gage _had_ an aunt living in New York and Axle _had_ a cousin working for SHIELD, in the hellicarrier."

"Aw, shit…that still doesn't excuse them. We're supposed to be the good guys! Fury ordered them to get answers not beat him half to death. You know—" Clint brought both hands up, closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled in order to keep his composure steady. He was torn between hating Loki and feeling sympathy for him. "Well, you know what? Maybe I should go and wake Thor up and let him run loose at SHIELD and see how they like it."

"Loki asked Thor _not_ to do that."

Clint sighed deeply. He was confused, could not place where he stood with Loki, or even knew how he felt about him. He looked back at the monitor and sighed once more. Gage was right, Loki had just laid there and took the abuse, and he never even bothered to plead or beg. When Natasha had walked in he had not even asked for help.

As Clint became engulfed in his thoughts Natasha had taken the disk out and before typing in a command she saw a lone figure sitting on the sofa of the living room staring at the television. She leaned in closer and saw who it was. Before she could say anything Clint leaned in behind her and said, "I'm gonna go talk to him."

"What for?"

"I just do. I don't know if it's a good idea—hell, I don't even know what to say to him but I just need to talk to him."

"I'll go with you."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

When Loki finally opened his eyes he was facing the window and saw it was dark. He slowly turned, he still ached, not as severely but still ached all over, and saw Thor sitting next to him with his back against the wall, drooping forward and snoring. Loki then wondered how long he had been asleep. He whispered into the air at Stark's disembodied butler and when the program answered back he had been surprised. According to Jarvis he had been asleep for two days.

After carefully leaving the bed he gathered all of his strength and pulled Thor by his feet in order to get him to lie down on the bed. Without any real reason or logic behind it he lifted Thor's head and removed the pillow, replacing it with the one he had been using. As he gripped the pillow with one hand he used the other to place the soft cover over Thor.

As he slowly made his way out of the room he looked back to make sure Thor was well and resting. When he was satisfied by the reassurance of Thor's thundering snore he managed a half smile and quietly closed the door.

Once out in the hallway he quietly walked over to the living room and with the pillow firmly grasped close to his chest by both hands he sat down on the sofa with both legs crossed under him. He grabbed the remote and turned the television on stopping on a random channel which displayed a random program. As he watched he slowly drooped and placed half of his face on the pillow. He inhaled and was actually bombarded by Thor's scent, it relaxed him.

For an hour all he did was inhale the scent on the pillow and idly watched the television. As far as he understood the program detailed the daily events of humans whose job was to investigate the crimes of other humans, the victims of said crimes were called special, which puzzled Loki, but it seemed it was.

He watched one episode after another and slowly came to the realization that the unit, as the humans called their group, dealt with children and crimes of a sexual nature. Some episodes were good; others were boring and easy to figure out. Some fascinated him as they depicted the use of science, he made a mental note to look into this science and ask Stark, Pym and Banner to lend him books on it.

For a while it seemed he was calm but then a cramping pain slowly made itself noticeable in his stomach, it was not hunger, it was something else. He clutched his stomach with one hand and with the other kept the pillow in place as he inhaled the calming scent as he tried to suppress the pain. It was not working.

For a few minutes he sat frozen on the sofa now completely ignoring the television and focusing on the pain. How he wished he had his magic available to him, he could easily mend his injured body easily with it. As he clutched his stomach tears formed in his eyes as he remembered that day when he was banished and the torture, remembered everything the four men yelled at him about deserving every bad thing that was happening to him. As tears fell he slightly eased his hand and left it loose over his stomach. He felt they were right so he did not bother trying to ease the pain.

"Hey, uh…Loki? Are you all right?"

Loki shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, he had not expected anyone to walk into the living room much less expected Clint to show up and talk to him. Loki searched Clint's face for any signs of hostility but thankfully found none.

Natasha stood next to Clint; he saw a similar expression on her face so he eased a little bit of the tension but still clutched the pillow and inhaled as he watched them carefully. How he wished he had never left the room.

"You should be in bed resting." Natasha said gently. She stretched an arm out to place it on his shoulder but as he saw the arm reach towards him Loki let out a shuddering breath and braced himself as he tightly shut his eyes.

Natasha frowned and lowered her gaze as she retracted her arm. She remembered the beating and figured it would be a while before he felt comfortable with contact from anyone that was not Thor. She walked towards the trickster and knelt down on one knee in front of him to meet his eyes; she lifted her hands in a mock surrender and slowly whispered, "No one in this house is going to lay a hand on you, not that way. Everyone here is going to keep you safe. You have nothing to worry about."

Natasha slowly moved one of her hands and placed it over one of Loki's as if to solidify what she was promising. As her hand made contact she could feel he was trembling. She kept a steady gaze on him so he could see the honesty she portrayed in her eyes. She figured the talented liar was able to sniff out a lie as easily as he could weave one.

After a few minutes she slowly rose back up and with the same hand placed it gently on his shoulders and made her way back to her room. Natasha found no reason to fear for Clint's safety so she left to try, even if she would not be able to, get some sleep. As Natasha disappeared into the darkness of the hallway Clint then turned his gaze to Loki.

"Mind if I sit down?"

Loki shook his head as he stared blankly at the floor. He was still silently crying on the pillow and trying to inhale the scent from it. Clint sat close but not close enough to make them both uncomfortable. He still did not know what to say to Loki and as he shifted his eyes around the room he began his conversation with something comfortable.

"She's right; you should be in bed resting."

"I couldn't sleep."

Clint nodded. He kept looking at the Asgardian god next to him and could not help but think about how powerful he looked a year ago and compared to that he looked broken and pathetic now. He made a note of the way he hunched over on the pillow, how much he cried in the time he was there with them and saw how he gripped that pillow as if it was the only thing in the world that felt safe. Clint also noticed how Loki kept an arm around his stomach and there was another safe and comfortable bit of conversation.

"Your stomach still hurts?"

Loki slowly nodded. Clint figured he had been pumped full of drugs already so a small can of ginger ale would definitely feel better than any harsh medicine. He stood up and walked towards the kitchen to look for a can of ginger ale he had seen a day ago and hoped it was still there. Once he found it he rushed back to the living room and sat in the exact same spot. He cleaned the top of the can and opened it before handing it to Loki.

Loki looked at the can and then back at Clint who said, "It's okay. It's just ginger ale. It's good for stomach pains. You've had enough drugs pumped into you, figured something lighter wouldn't be too bad."

Loki grabbed the can and slowly drank from it at first. After he got a feel for the taste he drank some more and then proceeded to thank Clint who in turn nodded. For a few minutes there was an uncomfortable silence between them, mostly due to Clint still trying to find the right words to say to Loki.

"I really, _really_ fucking hate you." So much for diplomacy.

"I know…" Loki answered as he closed his eyes.

"No, you don't know. You made me murder innocent people; I know the universe doesn't revolve around me but dammit, why did you have to enslave _me_? Why did you have to make me do those things? You made me hurt innocent people, hurt my friends, hurt my partner."

Clint was now sitting sideways to face Loki, "Loki, you—you got into my mind, you crawled around in there—I felt _violated_! Goddamn it, it took me a _long_ time to forgive myself and took even longer to convince myself that nothing I did while under your control was _my_ fault. I still feel guilty for having done what I did and people keep telling me none of it was my fault but it still felt like it was."

"When you came back all I wanted to do was kill you. I even stood outside your door holding a gun in my hands and planning how to make it look like you had finally cracked and killed yourself. I fantasized often about killing you in the worst way, the slowest, most painful way."

Loki was now lowering his head and he admitted it was in shame. He wished he could take everything back but it was done and the damage sat right next to him, pouring his heart out to him and all he could muster was to apologize because nothing within his power could take it all back.

"But you know what?" Clint continued, there was a slight shudder in his voice, "I finally figured that those homicidal fantasies were beneath me. That I would be acting like every villain that came before you and after you. I'm no villain. I'm an agent of SHIELD and a member of The Avengers and neither group stands for that kind of crap. I still wanted to kill you though. I also thought you were scheming yet again to either kill just Thor or all of us. That the injured shoulder and hand were an easy excuse to get close because no matter what you do Thor will _always_ follow you around like a puppy."

"You know when I started to sort of ease up off you? When Tony told me you were willingly going to go back to Asgard to complete your sentence. That's when the hate started to water down. I admit that your second suicide attempt was an utter disappointment to me. I thought about how I didn't have to get my hands dirty killing you but that was wrong."

At the mention of the word suicide Loki wept more and held back a sob as he waited for Clint to finish what he had to say.

"That day when you went off to Asgard I admit I couldn't believe it but low and behold there you were crossing that rip into Asgard to do as you had promised. After an hour I really believed you were keeping your promise and I told myself that if you did come back after finishing your sentence that you and I would have this talk. Of course, it turns out that your old man is not so good with his parenting skills and it almost got you killed so our talk was actually had sooner than later."

"I am so sorry for everything I did to you. I know I can never take it back or make it all better for you but know that I am truly sorry. An honest heartfelt apology is all I can offer." Loki had been keeping that inside for some time but he continued on before he lost his nerve, "If my being here is going to become a burden for you I will take my leave in the morrow—"

"No, goddamn it, wait. You're not getting what I'm saying." Clint cut Loki off before he could continue. "What I really meant to say was that I really hated you at first but now I don't. I really, really don't hate you, not anymore. I also forgive you and I'll accept your apology on one condition."

As Clint finished he extended his hand towards Loki and after a few seconds Loki did the same and the former enemies exchanged a friendly handshake as Clint smiled. For the first time in weeks Clint genuinely smiled and did not have to fake it.

"What condition?"

"You give me the knife in your pocket and you stop cutting yourself."

Loki froze as horror washed over his face, he gasped loudly as his grip on Clint's hand loosened and his mouth dropped. He thought Tony was the only one who knew about what he did every night in order to keep the rage at bay.

"I mean it, give me the knife." Loki reached a hand behind him. He had been sitting on the knife after he had made three fresh cuts on his lower arm, which was covered by long sleeves, and hid the knife by sitting on it.

"This is _not_ the way to handle your stress, anger and sadness." Clint said as he waved the bloody knife in front of Loki's face, "Thor is the only here who doesn't know you do this, we'll keep it that way as long as you swear here and now that you will no longer self-inflict and will no longer attempt to kill yourself. Swear it?"

"I swear it." He meant it; if it meant Thor would never find out he would swear it.

"Good. How's your stomach?"

"Much better, thank you."

"Speaking of that," Clint's tone turned serious, "Natasha showed me the security tape of the cell you were kept in, that was brutal, they were not supposed to torture you. They were only there to question you. Natasha didn't know they were torturing you, it shouldn't have happened. Since they disobeyed Natasha and I will make sure the tape gets sent in and they answer for what they did."

"No. No, please, I believe I know why they did it. It seems we are now even."

"What? You can't be serious! Loki, you could have died back there!"

"And I was wishing for it to happen so they would have done mea favor. Please, let this be the end of it."

Clint sighed deeply but agreed. He was not happy with the decision but if the victim was not willing to pursue the matter than going after Gage and his team would have been pointless so he reluctantly agreed.

"You should go to bed. It's really late and you need to rest and heal." As Clint finished he slowly rose from the sofa and turned to go to his room. The day proved to have been very tiring and he really wanted to erase the images from the security video so he figured a good night's sleep would do it.

"'Night, tiger!"

Loki turned to where Clint's voice had emerged and sighed. He was far too drained to smile or even fake a smile. He appreciated the thought and was glad he and Clint had that talk because while in the cell of SHIELD's basement he only thought of his victims but mostly thought of Clint and Coulson. There was nothing he could do about Coulson but Clint was alive and well and while at first he was afraid he slowly warmed up to the idea that fixing things, even if he failed, with Clint would at least ease that knot in his stomach.

After a few minutes of thinking things over he rose slowly and walked back to Thor's room. When he grabbed the doorknob he froze and looked down the hall to his room and then back at Thor's door. He wanted to sleep and rest and while he wanted to be near Thor he did not want to burden his brother with worry. He sighed deeply and then looked up at the ceiling.

"Jarvis?" Loki called unsure if the disembodied voice would answer or was even allowed to speak to him.

"How may I help you, sir?" Jarvis answered eloquently.

"Will you please let my brother know I will be using my own bed? I prefer to be alone for an undetermined amount of time. Please, let them know that I will be all right and not to take offense for my desire to not see anyone. I merely require some time to think and rest."

"As you wish, sir. I shall let the residents know of your wishes. Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"No, I am fine. Thank you, Jarvis."

With that Loki walked down to his room and slowly climbed onto his bed, hid under the covers and gripped Thor's pillow close to his face. He buried his face into the pillow as he wept. He wept for a long time until his body shut down out of exhaust and just simply slept.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"We have been searching for a long time! How are we going to explain coming back to the Norn queen empty handed? Surely she will have our heads!" Skurge was many things but patient was not one of them. Amora's original plan had taken a slight turn when the Norn queen had ordered him and Amora to find all the crystals that had been lost in Midgard but she found a way to manipulate the situation to benefit both her and Skurge. Amora was confident in her plan but Skurge seemed to not share the sentiment.

"Dear Skurge, our time spent in Midgard was of a fruitful nature. While the Norn queen believed we were searching for her precious crystals we bought time." Amora's voice carried with it a sinister tone but one Skurge did not understand or even approved.

"Time for what exactly?"

"For the queen's rage to build."

Skurge stared at Amora almost comically like. She knew he barely understood what her plan was so she turned to face him head on and explained her newly hatched plan. "You see, the queen sent us to retrieve her crystals and while I _can_ easily find them we will tell the queen it was impossible to find the crystals because that _mange ridden dog_ placed a curse on them so no one could find them."

"And why would the trickster do that?"

"He's the very epitome of anarchy. No one knows why he does what he does. He just does it." Amora's rage was building as she spoke of Loki and while she wanted to raise her fists and curse his name loud enough for the universe to hear she calmed herself while explaining the rest of the plan. "When she hears our report she will become enraged and she will set after the trickster and end his pathetic excuse of an existence."

"We sit back and enjoy our revenge." Skurge said as he lifted a mug of ale and took a swig from it.

"Exactly. We will have to wait for some time, the queen will never believe us if we return now. We shall continue to hide and then we shall report to the queen."

"Down with the trickster!" Skurge took yet another helping of the ale, this time Amora joined in but before drinking she echoed the warrior's toast.

"Down with the trickster!"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

It had been nine days since Loki had locked himself in his room and while the group worried they stayed away from his room as he had asked them to. Occasionally while they passed his room Tony or Steve or anyone else would press their ears to the door to see if they could hear anything. Sometimes all they could hear was silence, the majority of the time they heard uncontrollable crying which worried them but at least it was a sign that he had not done something unthinkable. Very few times they could hear him talking, they could not make out what it was he was saying but he would talk to himself.

In those nine days Thor was the most unsettled they had ever seen him, they knew he wanted to burst through the door to see if his brother was all right and sometimes he would sit outside of Loki's door for hours on end but to keep him calm Tony would asked Jarvis to give them details about Loki's state. When the virtual butler would give an answer he would remind them that Loki had asked for some privacy to which Tony shrugged it off.

During those nine days Thor was not the only person to feel uneasy and worried. Jan would often times feel the need to ask Jarvis for video feed to see how Loki was but the butler would deny her access also reminding her that Loki had asked for some privacy. Jan would settle on Jarvis telling her that he was all right.

On the morning of the tenth day Steve could not take the pressure any longer and decided to intrude. He accepted the fact that he may get something tossed at him but he was willing to risk it. As he marched towards Loki's room he ran into Jan and Natasha who curiously enough were marching in the same direction he was marching in. As the three of them looked at each other there was an unspoken understanding and with a smile and a nod Steve headed to his destination.

Once at the door he gently knocked and timidly said, "Loki? I know you asked to be left alone but we're getting really worry about you. Please, we don't mean to intrude but at least let us know you are all right."

Steve's speech went unanswered and after a few minutes he knocked again and called Loki's name only to still go unanswered. Jan was getting worried so she called up at Jarvis.

"Jarvis, is he all right? Is he still…"

"He has left the room. He is currently on the roof of the mansion." Jarvis answered and although his voice pattern did not indicate that there was anything wrong the trio looked at each other all thinking the same morbid thought.

Simultaneously the trio sprinted across the hall and made their way to the stairs and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Once at the door Steve burst through the door and winced a bit as the sunlight hit him but as soon as he recovered he felt Natasha and Jan push him lightly aside.

They looked to the other side of the pool and saw Loki sitting on the edge of the roof leaning back slightly while supporting his weight with both arms just a few inches behind his back. The trio approached him slowly, unsure of what to expect. As they slowly approached Loki lifted his head and the breeze swept past him and a fluttering sound stopped the trio in their tracks.

Loki reached to his side and grabbed a bottle of water. Jan looked around him and saw an empty liter of soda, some wraps of junk food and an empty plate and about three bottles of water. Her curiosity was sparkling but she and the others slowly walked towards Loki. As they approached a giant liquid manta ray flew into the air and danced wildly as an eel and a whale joined the manta ray. The three liquid creatures danced in the sky above Loki and they could have sworn they heard Loki laughing.

Their attention was driven back to Loki who stood up after he picked up a second bottle of water. He took the two bottles and spilled the water all around him as the marine creatures continued to dance. After he did he held the two bottles with his hands and as he closed his eyes his hands began to glow green and several golden streams laced themselves around his hands and as the lights became brighter Loki knelt on the floor and placed both hands on the water and the roof began to glow.

Jan and the others took a step back as they saw the green energy concentrating on all the rain water that had collected on the roof over the last few days. As the light got brighter and brighter the water actually began to move on its own.

Suddenly a horde of animals, liquid animals, rose from the floor and began to run around and dance. There was a tiger, a couple of dogs, a bald eagle, and dragons flying about. The trio looked to the sky as the liquid animals ran and flew through the skies and played with each other. Jan, Steve and even Natasha laughed at the sight in front of them. Genuine happiness and cheer splashed across their faces as they took in the sights. More animals emerged from the water as they looked down at the floor and then looked at Loki.

A sheepish smile adorned his face as he took the three bottles of water and tossed them at the trio in front of him. The bottles were glowing with a green aura and the water inside seemed to slosh about slowly. The trio looked at the bottles curiously but Steve somehow got the notion to spill the bottle as Loki had done earlier.

The bottle never emptied but water flowed through it nonetheless. As the water fell a dinosaur made of water formed before his very eyes. It was not the size of a full grown dinosaur but it was still there. Steve had actually thought of a dinosaur and the enchanted water took the form of what he was thinking. Jan looked at the bottle in amazement and as she tilted the bottle a giraffe formed and ran after the dinosaur. Natasha did as well and an elephant emerged.

Loki looked at them and the look on their faces formed a bigger smile on his. He would often perform tricks to amuse other Asgardians but growing up in a warrior driven society meant his talents were not as sought after as a warrior's would be. However they result before him now actually made his heart jump with what he could only figure out to be joy. Something he thought would never wrap itself around his heart ever again. He laughed again as he flicked his index finger up and from the water in the pool a horde of balloons flew high into the sky.

Jan saw the massive balloons and grabbed on to one of the strings and let out an uncontrolled giggle as Natasha grabbed her hand and grabbed onto Jan's leg as they flew higher they tilted their bottles and dozens of water dragonflies and butterflies flew around them. Steve could not help but laugh loudly. He took his bottle and spilled water everywhere and bees flew around.

Loki shifted the pool's water and dozens of blocks floated into the air so Natasha and Jan would not fly away. The girls let go of the balloon and stepped onto the blocks while playing with the water animals that danced and pranced around them. Jan's loud laughter was strong but it was not surprising coming from her. Loki looked at Natasha as her own laughter turned into squeals, he loved that sound, it was graceful as was Jan's. All their laughter combined was a marvelous sound. It was the first time in days that the mansion was host to happy squeals, joyous laughter, uncontrollable giggles and laughing fits that were so loud Steve could have sworn the entire neighborhood could hear them. He was especially happy to see Loki laughing so loudly and loved that he had a genuine look of happiness in his eyes.

Eventually Natasha and Jan made their way back to the roof and continued to splash the air with water animals which were now crowding the air space around them. Eventually Loki lifted both arms and all the animals and objects floating around them merged into a giant water sphere and as it got bigger it actually burst and water droplets fell all around them. Steve, Jan and Natasha laughed as did Loki.

Their activities had not gone unnoticed. The rest of the inhabitants of the mansion had walked in on them as they were entertained by Loki's magic. Loki looked behind the trio and saw his brother and the others idly standing and watching, smiles all across and a look of hope and joy written across Thor's face.

Thor and Loki locked eyes and Thor slowly made his way towards his brother. Thor searched his brother's eyes and Loki flushed a little but before he could turn his sheepish gaze away Thor placed a hand on the back of Loki's neck. Loki placed a hand on Thor's arm and smiled as he looked at his older brother. In a swift motion Thor drew Loki in and hugged him. Loki was somewhat surprised but he returned the hug and squeezed as hard as he could.

The group watched but then one by one they tackled the siblings in a hug of their own and as they all squealed in laughter they fell over and continued to laugh. After a few minutes of pure unadulterated laughter they all stood and smiled at one another. Even Natasha was smiling, though she admitted the hugging was unusual from her part and she still could not figure why she joined in on the tackling hug. Could have been a spur of the moment situation.

"Brother, you were using your magic. How is this possible?" Thor questioned as soon as he remembered he had seen Loki using magic. They all turned to Tony who laughed as he waved his hands dismissively.

"Oh, I turned that thing off when you had been invited upstairs by Jan. Remember our talk from that night? I turned it off as soon as I got to my room. It's got a remote."

Actually speaking, Tony had turned off the device when Loki and Thor had that conversation in the basement after Loki had attempted to kill himself. He was not going to confess to that because he had listened in on their conversation and for some reason between Loki sobbing and spilling his heart out to Thor he had placed a thought in his mind. A thought that was to him as accurate as Loki was real. He knew of Loki's reputation as a liesmith and he knew that a liar as gifted as he was to be a good actor but the tone of his voice and how terribly he was stuttering just made the entire situation genuine.

The second thing that convinced Tony was how Loki reacted to Clint's constant badgering. Loki from a year ago would have snapped Clint's neck but he did not. The third thing that convinced Tony was Loki's self-destructive behavior and the suicide attempt while in their care.

Thor spoke of Loki often and with crucial details and everything about his behavior pointed at someone who had been hurt, had a low level of self-esteem and some serious inferiority complexes. Thor spoke of someone who needed fixing and as corny as he admitted it sounded he also thought that that man needed a hug, quite possibly a kick in the teeth as well for acting out at the wrong people, anything to let him know that everything was going to be all right and that he did not have to hide behind lies, trickery and chaos any longer.

Tony shared this sentiment with the rest of the group and eventually Clint had grown to accept that perhaps Tony was right but he seldom made a mention of it. Everyone, single one of them had once made one or multiple horrendous mistakes in their lives, some needed a second chance and Tony had seen that everywhere. Bruce's destructive nature as the Hulk was the epitome of it. A lot of people shunned him for it yet here he was as an honorary member of the Avengers, fighting evil and doing "goody goody stuff" as Tony called it. Natasha was also as good an example as any.

Yes, he did admit Loki's mistakes involved the deaths of a lot of people but his case was very complex. As Thor spoke he just sensed Loki was a person who would go to any lengths to please someone he deemed worthy of respect and when he failed to gain his father's approval, especially after learning he was adopted, it was only natural that his psychological state shattered.

"Here." Tony said as he approached Loki and removed the device from his neck. "There's no point in keeping this on you." Loki rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at Tony but then lowered his gaze as he sighed.

"I am sorry if I caused any trouble. I merely needed time along to adjust myself."

"Don't worry about it." Bruce stepped up and placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. If anyone was going to approve of needing time to themselves it was Bruce. "We all need a little time to gather ourselves."

Loki smiled again and as he stared at the group Thor placed his massive hand on his head and tousled his already messy hair and while they all laughed Jan said, "We should head down, get dressed and go out for breakfast."

The group erupted in agreement and slowly made their way back into the mansion while shouting suggestions for places to get some breakfast. Loki stood still as the group left but as he took a step forward Clint and Natasha held him back.

"Are you all right, Loki?" Clint asked as he searched his eyes.

"I am."

"How did you know the device wasn't working?" Natasha asked. It was actual curiosity that spawned the question.

Loki sighed and lowered his gaze as he answered, "I did not keep my promise for the first three days of my stationary confinement in my chambers. I am truly sorry for it, Clint. On the night of the third day I was determined to end my life and I remembered Stark's warning about the device that if I were to use my magic it would rupture my heart and so I tried it but it did not work. I took that as a sign that perhaps ending my life would be unwise."

"You're damn right it's unwise." Clint quipped but quickly smiled widely at the Asgardian as he patted him on the back, "We should head down or they'll leave without us. I want waffles!"

"I will join you in a few minutes."

Clint rushed to the door while Natasha placed a hand on the back of Loki's head, pleasantly scratching with her thumb, and smiled at him reassuringly. Loki returned the smile and once he was alone he inhaled and exhaled as he looked to the sky. The wind blew his hair back as he momentarily closed his eyes. For the first time in long centuries that bitter and deadly feeling of loneliness was not present and weighing his soul down and squeezing the life out of his heart. He felt wanted amongst the group, he felt he was welcome and did not need to fear them or needed to hide who he was. All he had to do was be himself and in that realization he finally realized what it was like to be free. To be unconditionally loved.

He smiled as he opened his eyes and while still staring at the sky he said, "Father, I am eternally sorry for all my grievances against you and Asgard. I realize I was wrong in many ways but I was right in many others. Whether you accept my apology or not I will never know…I plan to never return to Asgard."

Loki sighed as he walked back into the mansion and returned to the group so they could leave for breakfast as Jan had suggested.

Unbeknownst to Loki his message and apology did in fact reach the intended ears and while the receptor was jaded with guilt and sadness his only witness to the rare event of open expression was the watcher. It was a sad event to watch a god king weep over the permanent loss of his youngest child but it was also a relief to see some happiness within a being who had only known loneliness and bitterness for so long.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

"Perry, have I got a beaut for you!" A tall man wearing baggy clothes and a massive afro atop of his head walked into a pawnshop. As the door closed behind him the loud noises of Detroit's busy streets silenced. The man shook off some rain water to which the owner of the pawnshop protested to with claims of having cleaned the floor. After a half-hearted apology the man that had just walked in approached the owner while digging his hands into his pocket. Once near the counter he pulled out a strange looking diamond, it was big, about three inches long.

"Looky what I ran into, Per." The man said as a huge grin warped his face.

"The fuck is that, Edward?" Perry said with a slight annoyance in his voice.

"What are you blind? It's a fuckin' diamond! Look at the size a this thing!"

Perry sighed and grabbed the object from Edward's gloved hand and as soon as his hand came into contact with the object a tingling sensation washed over his hand and as the sensation spread to the rest of his body he could swear he heard and felt a humming sound emitting from the object. Perry blinked as he stared into the object and after a few minutes he looked back at Edward with confusion.

"Where…did you say you got this crystal?"

"Yo, man, I got that diamond off some junkie who said he found it in some dumpster."

"Okay, first of all," Perry held the object with one hand and with the other he raised it facing the palm of his hand towards Edward as he continued, "This is _not_ a diamond, shithead, this is a crystal. Second of all, this could be a fake for all you know. Thirdly, how the hell did this end up in a dumpster?"

Edward shrugged in an obvious display of lack of knowledge to Perry's question. Perry snorted and made his way to the back of the shop only to return a few minutes with a small tool known as a jeweler's eye. He sat back down on his squeaky and unkept stool and examined the crystal carefully. As he examined the crystal he noticed the fibers within it to have strange markings and even more there was a small, faint light at the core of the crystal. Upon further examination he saw the light was pulsating in a subtle way.

Confused Edward put the jeweler's eye down and shook the crystal to see if it was some liquid or some strange mechanism that made the pulsing light work. After shaking it he placed the jeweler's eye back over his left eye and to his surprise everything was intact. He could not shake the feeling that he was holding something rare and valuable in his hand. He put the crystal and the eye down and looked at Edward with a very pleased look on his face.

"I think you may have found something big here."

Both men smiled at each other but it was not to last. In their suspense of examining the crystal neither of them had heard the front door open nor close, much less noticed the muscular six foot man standing idly at the door. "It had better be the money you owe for the last two months, Perry."

Both Perry and Edward turned to look at the man and both gasped at the same time when they saw who was standing at the door. The muscular man made his way towards the counter and as he got close Edward backed away towards the wall while Perry began to sweat.

"Perry, you know how I hate coming here, I really hate coming here and your not paying made me come down here. Now, when I do something I hate doing it really gets my goat and then I end up doing not so nice things. Is that what you want? For me to do not so very nice things to your shop or you?"

"I—I'm sorry, tell your boss I'll have the money in a week. I just need a week to—" Perry was obviously very nervous and stuttering but this only angered the muscular man for he slammed both fisted hands on the counter and shook all the contents on it.

"You've not paid in two months! Why would we give you an extra week? The money or we burn this place down!"

"No, please!" Perry stumbled about as he stood up from the stool and slightly backed away from the gangster, "Look, see that crystal there? It's rare; it's nothing like I've ever seen before! I haven't seen anything like it in the world! Take it! It could be worth thousands upon thousands!"

The gangster shot a questionable look at Perry and then lowered his gaze and settled his eyes on the crystal. He knew absolutely nothing about diamonds or crystals and as reluctant as he felt about taking that crystal as a form of payment due to being at risk of having been duped into getting a fake he grabbed it. The same tingling sensation washed over him but he dismissed it as the adrenaline from shouting and threatening another with burning down his business, if it could be called that. The gangster stared at the diamond for a few minutes and then shot a hostile look to both Perry and Edward to which both men slightly jumped back from.

"This just bought you a week. But if this turns out to be nothing I'll come back here and if you have any sense in your brain you'll have left the states or I'm burning this place down with you and Shaft over there."

With that the gangster turned on his heels and walked out of the pawnshop. Once outside he reached for his cell phone and confirmed to his boss that some form of payment had been made, the voice on the other line sounded upset and instructions to immediately return were shouted. The large gangster sighed as he ended the call and made his way back to his car. He hoped this crystal would in fact turn out to be worth something because if he had to be screamed at once more he was going to return that very same night and make a living inferno out of the pawnshop and the people within it.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A matter of normalcy had returned to take its place in the mansion. They had fallen into a comfortable routine and that comfort was welcoming as it brought about a massive amount of peace of mind. When the Avengers were summoned, sometimes they would be gone all day; Loki took that time to head down to the laboratory and borrow several books which he had asked about. He would spend all of his time in the mansion when alone to read about science, modern technology and Midgard per say. Bruce, Hank and Tony would oblige him with such books and would often find themselves talking for hours about what they loved the most and were surprised to see Loki attentively hearing them and actually asking questions.

They soon found out Loki was a very fast learner as Jan had given him her old Kindle to download books for him to read and to their surprise all it took for him to learn how to properly use it was two explanations. He had also opened up to fiddling around with some of the more simple technologies such as operating the Blu-ray player and the television and soon moved up to bigger and more complicated machines. After a week he was comfortably walking down the mansion with a Kindle in hand and when he thought no one was looking would steal away their cell phones to try and comprehend how they worked as he came to learn not all were the same. When T'Challa returned to the mansion and had been informed of what had happened while he was gone he obliged Loki in talking of his culture and of his home. How his people were in tune with their past, the future, nature and science. Loki was, to say the least, fascinated and impressed with that society. A society that valued all of their members and used every resource they were gifted with for the betterment of their people.

Loki was not the only one who was learning. When T'Challa had learned that Loki was a sorcerer he had asked the Asgardian to let him study his abilities further. When he agreed T'Challa extensively studied the Asgardian and along the way Hank joined in and Bruce would occasionally drop by. T'Challa was impressed with the magical abilities of their newest guest and in turn filed all of his findings for further research and sent some of the information to Wakanda.

When completely alone due to his brother and his teammates fighting some villains he would often harass Jarvis with questions, definitions and references to which the program obliged. Thankfully machines and programs had no limits to their patience otherwise Loki was certain Jarvis would have gone insane by the amount of questions.

It was not always research and studying for him. In fact, when he was alone or before bed was the only time he was able to read and study but when around the residents of the mansion he would spend as much time as he could with Thor, making up for lost time which felt like centuries to him. When not with Thor he would spend time with Jan who often sought him out to include him in her activities and to ask him to perform magic and tricks. Loki would happily agree, he drowned in glee whenever she asked him about his magic, asked about his magical studies and would light up like the sun in midsummer when Jan asked to see him do magic. This often led the duo to creating pranks on the rest of the residents and at times Clint would join in. Was nothing harmful, in fact, he repeated pranks and tricks he had not done in long centuries due to them being harmless and childish but he was fine with that as they were pranks he did when he had not been engulfed in malice.

Thor in turn loved seeing his brother fitting in so well with his friends. He enjoyed watching him interact with the others and loved that Loki genuinely desired to spend time with him. Thor often visited the memory of a morning when Tony had asked anyone within the group to accompany him to purchase some house hold items that were missing from the kitchen and when Thor volunteered Loki rose up to accompany them and Steve also followed. As the four men left to their task Tony and Steve looked at each other with wide smiles as they looked back to see Loki chatting up a storm to Thor telling him of all he had learned from the previous days. The chatting lasted the entire walk from the mansion and back to the mansion. None of them minded especially Thor. Tony thought it was cute and Steve could identify with Loki in that aspect as he himself felt both frightened and fascinated with the modern world before him.

Loki would also accompany them to the gym on the second floor and watched them practice. He was often invited to join them but he neglected to do so. Part of him felt ashamed as he would often revert back to memories of blackened eyes and bruises when taking part in practice when younger back in Asgard. At first he found it useful and regarded it as a learning experience but as they grew older the practice turned more into competition and while there was nothing wrong with a little friendly competition there was nothing friendly about the way Sif would mock his stance or Hogun would glare at the way he held an ax. The only thing he would properly hold well was a spear and a sword and while it was limiting his arsenal he was more than happy to fuse sword play with offensive and defensive magic to which earned him several glares and disapproving looks from the others.

Natasha did take note of the way Loki would trace ever so carefully the way they all moved as if internally studying how every leg swayed, how the joints in their bodies bent, how a fist from a certain angle delivered more power, how much risk there was in a high kick or a low kick. His studious attention sparked an idea in her head and it grew as every time they had all attended the gym he would often remain seated and carefully watched. He may not have had a notebook to jot down pointers whenever they gave themselves hints and ideas but she was more than certain that he was mentally making note of every move and spoken word.

One morning when their practice session was over Natasha held Steve back and as she watched Loki leave she turned to the Captain with a curious proposition, one he smiled at and acknowledged when the details were clear.

When Steve announced he was on his way to the gym Natasha, T'Challa, Bruce and Tony suggested they all go and practice together and as usual Loki would follow them to watch, only this time their session was going to be a little different.

Once inside the gym Tony locked the door and joined Steve in the middle as they stretched. Natasha sat next to Loki and said, "Care to join us today?"

"No, thank you. If it's all right I'll just watch."

"Come on, I wanna see what you've got. No one is going to pick on you; no one here is going to make fun of you. I've seen the way you just sit there and study our every move. Something tells me you're more than capable of fending off enemies. I saw the way you fought off Thor back in Stark's tower. I also know you weren't giving 100% and I want to see it."

Natasha stood up and urged Loki to follow her. He dropped his shoulders and hesitated but as she walked towards the small group they all urged him to come over. He sighed deeply as he slowly stood up from the chair and walked towards them at an even slower pace. He watched the floor as he approached them and with hesitance he smiled at them in the hopes that they would tell him to sit back down but it was not to be.

"So, I imagine you were trained as Thor was with swords and axes and other pointy, metal medieval weapons, right?" Tony asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow as a smile warped his face. Loki nodded while looking down.

"You also strike me as someone who would actually think before jumping the gun and rushing into battle on a horse and wielding an axe." Steve put in as he shifted his eyes up and down somehow studying Loki's frame and while he concentrated on the question he felt incredibly uncomfortable. "You're more of the type to actually make a strategy and would prefer to retreat to fight another day than to aimlessly charge in and quite possibly get killed. Don't get me wrong but Thor's been known to just charge in without a plan and it doesn't always get the desired effect."

"Yeah, Thor's more of a cannon. Whenever things get really messy we just tend to let him loose and hope to God he doesn't get himself or bystanders killed." Loki laughed lightly at the description because he knew Tony was right. Thor was reckless and often put the practice of "kill first and ask questions later" into play more often than he should.

T'Challa stepped forward and with a smile asked, "Were you all trained the same?"

"More or so, yes."

T'Challa frowned as he placed a hand on his chin and as he closed his eyes he said, "That, my friend, is a mistake. Every person is different, I cannot train in the same way you have been trained and you cannot train in the same way Natasha has. Perhaps you shy away because they did not properly see to your needs much less take into account your strengths and weaknesses. Yes?"

"No, they did not. They all just assumed I would be able to follow suit with the rest of the warriors and when I was not able to it…" Loki lowered his eyes as he rubbed his left arm remembering a sparring session gone horribly wrong.

T'Challa received the message all too well and while tracing Loki's frame with his eyes he stood near him and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder and said, "Those days are far behind you. Here it is different and different is not a bad thing. Perhaps they allowed mocking and fiery competition in practice and training in Asgard but here I do not allow it for it is in mocking and competition that you lose sight of the real goal which is to learn. If you feel comfortable with us you can join us in our training sessions. I realize you rely almost entirely on magic but it is good to have more than one option in the battlefield."

Loki nodded but then slowly turned to look at the door and Tony chuckled as he said, "Don't worry, the door is locked and Jarvis can warn us when anyone is approaching and if it's your brother you're so worried about we can have our own sessions on our own and you won't have to worry about him walking in. He's going to have a _very_ long and busy day." Tony rubbed his hands together and a mischievous smile adorned his face as he cackled. When Natasha had come over to him with the proposition he had anticipated Thor would want to join them along and knowing Loki would definitely shy away and refuse while his brother watched he assigned Clint, Hank and Jan to keep him busy with random tasks outside of the mansion. Most likely Jan forced them to accompany her to the shopping center and knowing Jan she would be there all day long.

Loki nodded again and the group lit up. Steve had once asked Thor about their training and if he was correct they would need a completely different approach with Loki. Steve, T'Challa and Natasha stood in front of Loki and examined him. After a few minutes T'Challa broke the silence.

"I am certain you remember everything they taught you in Asgard, correct?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now forget everything."

"I beg your pardon?" Loki asked while looking at T'Challa with a curious look on his face.

"Yes, you heard correctly. Forget everything they taught you except for your training in swords. That we will look into much later. For now I would like to see how you would handle yourself with hand to hand combat and in order to do so you would need to erase everything they tried to teach you in that aspect. I want to bring out your strengths, whatever they may be."

Loki frowned but Tony quickly stepped up and said, "Oh, come on, you think Steve got to where he is now by moping around like that? No, he was tested on like a lab rat and it turned out to work out for him. He was a shrimp; seriously, I'll show you a picture so you can laugh. He was skinnier than you are!"

"Thanks, Tony, for that lovely boost of confidence." Steve said as he stared at Tony.

"And Bruce!" Tony grabbed Bruce by the arm and shook him as he continued to talk, "Even if Steve still looked like he did back in the day he could beat up Bruce with his shrimpy arms and chicken legs."

"Wow." Was all Steve said while trying to contain a bit of laughter as he looked at Bruce trying to adjust his glasses and fixing his shirt.

"The only way Bruce is able to do anything to defend himself is either pick up a gun, which we all know he won't, or turn green and go on a rampage._ I_ can handle myself, not perfectly well but enough to at least bring down one guy at a time but my strength is given with the suit. I wear the suit when I'm out there but I also practice here because you never know what is going to happen out there."

Their arguments were valid and while Loki was able to handle himself he stopped and analyzed the current situation. He would be taking extra points and he was watching Natasha, Tony and Steve and while their movements, stances and techniques were strange they seemed effective and given that he had already resorted to none traditional means of battling taking up techniques from Midgard that could suit him best was definitely not out of the question. He looked to the group and agreed but only if he was allowed to go at his own pace and was not forced to practice in front of Thor. The small group agreed to the terms and began.

"Now, the best thing about you, and correct me if I'm wrong I'm solely basing this on what Thor has told us, is that you can handle weapons, have some knowledge of hand to hand and to top it all off your magical abilities for an offensive and defensive are superb. All in all you're a pretty dangerous individual." Steve said with a wide smile as he looked at Loki. "When a weapon is out, you still have all of your limbs and if the need should ever arise you have magic as well and something tells me that if you fuse all three there will be nothing to stop you."

"Not to mention your build is smaller than Thor's so it means you can easily rely on speed and nimbleness which will work great for what I have in mind." Natasha added. "Also, sticking to one huge weapon as opposed to dozens of well hidden weapons is a better choice but you already knew that. Nothing wrong with huge swords and broad axes but if that doesn't suit you it shouldn't be forced on you."

The rest of the morning continued in lessons from each member and while Loki was very well aware of these lessons he still listened carefully and attentively. He appreciated the fact that none of them pushed something he felt uncomfortable with on him and instead worked to get his strengths out. He also felt an indescribable ease when he was not mocked when he took to something new and tried to practice it but failed to execute it correctly. He appreciated that even more. By noon he felt comfortable enough to have lost himself in practice and sparring and the group found that his quick wits and fast learning was not limited to just books.

This was now integrated into their routines. For weeks Loki would sneak away with Natasha, Steve, T'Challa and Tony to practice and within a week he was able to keep up with Natasha's fighting form, Tony's dirty boxing as some had come to call it, Steve's techniques and T'Challa's way of integrating small and large knives, spears and short swords with hand to hand combat and magic. Loki was surprised when T'Challa encouraged him to fuse his magic with the weapons and the fighting to create more powerful blows and to perfectly time a force field to block a hit he was sure he was not able to withstand.

At one point in time Natasha had introduced him to the Midgardian weapons known as guns and while he found the weapons odd he was sure it would not hurt to learn of them and how to use them. It took a long time for him to grow accustomed to the weight of a small hand gun and how to properly hold one and use it. He was uncomfortable with them overall but as he often thought that moving forward and exploring other options was always a good strategy he gave his entire attention to the lessons Natasha gave him on it.

Between learning of Midgard, researching on science, the private lessons and socializing with his brother and the Avengers Loki was shaping up to be a completely different creature. He was still Loki at his core but he carried himself with an air of peace and confidence Thor had never seen before. What made Thor happier was that overwhelming happiness Loki seemed to portray and actually feel. The way he would interact with them and how smiling was something he often did, how he seemed to avoid lying all together, how he behaved overall caused Thor a great sense of pride and happiness. He often reverted his thoughts to Asgard and wondered about his family and friends. Surely he knew Hiemdall could see and hear all that went on in the mansion but he did not care. Even after all this time he was still furious at how his father had handled the situation, he sometimes felt a need to ask how Loki felt about that but given the fact that he was happy in Midgard he felt he did not need to bring him any misery by reminding him of his last interaction with Odin. Thor knew he would have to return to Asgard eventually but that visit would be left for another time. At the moment he wanted to focus on Loki.

What Thor did not know was that Loki would often lie awake in bed thinking about his mother. Despite everything he missed her very much and while he was more than capable of crossing the border between the realms to send a thought to her he dared not out of fear of invoking the one eyed king's wrath. He wanted to let his mother know he was doing well and that he was happy beside his brother and what he recently came to call his friends. Yes, internally he would acknowledge them as friends even if he had not heard them acknowledge him as a friend but he felt a connection to each of them in their own way. He would send a message to her in some way but he knew not when.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"Oh, man, not this shit again. I told you to drop it, Rogers." Tony's voice was laced with a poisonous hiss of anger as he walked into the mansion.

"No, I'm not going to drop it! I told you not to go off and what do you do? Go off and do exactly what I told you not to do!" Steve chased Tony while pointing his index finger at Tony who was heading towards the elevator.

"Guys, please, that's enough. Next time we just need to be more organized and careful." Jan intercepted the duo with her input but it seemed like Tony and Steve were about to start a fight of their own. The arguments continued as the group made their way to the second floor and into the medical room. They had been called in to handle a sentinel that had been sent in to hunt for some people known as mutants and while they did defeat the grandiose machine it seemed the team was not synchronized well that day.

They walked in tired and hurt especially Jan, Hank, Clint, Thor, Tony and Steve who had been battered the worst. It seemed that a few bad decisions had been made by Tony but he thought he was in the right while Steve thought Tony was wrong and in the heat of the argument their team had lost synchronization and suffered a few heavy blows.

Loki had noticed them walking in so he went down to meet them only to be stunned by the sight. He had seen them hurt before but this was more of a beating and the arguing amongst them was evidence enough to let Loki know that their mission had not gone as smoothly as they had hoped.

He approached Thor and examined his face which was scratched and bruised but the worst injury had been done to his right arm. His elbow was inflamed and had apparently hurt enough for Thor to carry Mjolnir with his left. Loki frowned at his brother and carefully placed both hands on his injured elbow. Even with the lightest of touches Thor still felt the pain shoot up his arm but he would never flinch much less when he could see the worry on Loki's face.

The arguing continued in the background while Loki concentrated. His hands began to glow in a subtle green tinged light. He held his hands about an inch from Thor's elbow, one hand on top and the other on the bottom, encasing the injured elbow. After a few seconds Loki then placed both hands with their palms up and next to each other making sure both thumbs made contact with each other. He kept his hands at a distance from Thor and raised them high above his head.

Loki closed his eyes and a circle appeared above Thor who stood still while watching his brother work. The pride and joy in his eyes were brighter than the light emitting from the circle. The circle moved down and almost through Thor as Loki lowered his hands slowly and everything the circle touched was mended and clean. Not even Thor's hair was bristled.

As soon as the circle disappeared when touching the ground under Thor's feet Loki opened his eyes to examine his brother and as if to let him know all was well without the use of words Thor lifted his once injured arm and stretched it out and moved it freely. Loki sighed in relief and Thor wrapped his right arm around Loki's neck drawing him into a hug.

"Hey, I want in on that!" Jan said.

While concentrating on the task at hand Loki had failed to notice the arguing had dwindled down and eventually stopped. When he turned to look behind him the group had stood in silence as they watched him heal Thor without so much as using a band-aid. Jan had broken the silence as she walked over to Loki who took a step back as she enthusiastically grabbed him by the arm. Loki nodded seriously and proceeded to repeat the process seeing as how Jan had no real serious injury.

After the circle disappeared Jan felt a strange tingling sensation over her body and nothing ached. She smiled as she looked at her hands which had been hurting since their encounter with the sentinel. After giggling she lunged forward and wrapped both arms around Loki and squeezed as hard as she could while cheerfully stating, "Ha! Thanks so much, you're a genius!"

Jan then left to clean up and change out of her uniform, there was a peculiar hop in her step as she walked away and Loki could not help but smile while blushing at Jan's statement. His attention was then drawn to Clint and the rest of the team who had apparently formed a line behind Jan apparently also "wanting in" on what Loki had done.

After everyone had been cared for Loki had been drowned in praise and gratitude, most expressively from Tony who went ahead and tousled Loki's neatly brushed hair until it was standing on end and going in different directions while laughing and saying, "This is great! Thanks a lot, sport!"

Loki did not mind, he had grown accustomed to getting his hair ruffled and messed and to be honest he did not need to stand on ceremony for anyone. This was a mansion not a palace and there was no one around for him to need to act his age or according to his status, which he no longer had and above all else he did not have to fear being and acting as he so chose around these people, these friends.

After the group left only Thor remained who contently sat down and watched his brother and the biggest smile had formed on his face. Loki looked at him in question and the large Asgardian rose up and once more placed his right arm around his neck. This time drawing him close and placing a kiss on the side of Loki's head which made Loki smile wide and return the hug. After a few silent moments Loki backed away and looked up at Thor who hugged him once more and in that moment of sincerity Thor spoke words Loki never thought he would ever be a recipient to.

"I am so proud of you."

It was enough to make him cry but he was not going to, he had cried enough to leave him tearless for another millennium. His only response was to wrap both arms around his older brother and squeezed as much as he could, taking in his frame against his.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

It was around 5:23 in the afternoon and Natasha had retreated to the conformities of her bedroom. They had had a long day out in the field and during the morning the select group of tutors had a tough practice session but at least it had gone far better than expected. Loki was indeed a very quick study and as Natasha and T'Challa found out that morning Loki had a very nasty left hook and the fact that he was not too prone to using kicks but when he did he was sure to make his aim true and powerful, not to mention that he had confessed to Clint that he often visited the gym late at night to put into more practice what he had been taught that very morning.

Natasha placed her laptop on the desk and turned it on to give her daily report as she waited for her hair to dry. Once booted up she made the connection to communicate with Fury. She had been asked to use this form of communication solely for the fact that Fury wanted to see her reactions and hear her voice pattern. She did not blame him for the precautions; after all, she had once doubted Loki's intentions and behavior as well.

"Agent Romanoff, how are you this evening?" The digitized voice of Fury inquired.

"Very well, sir. Reporting for the day."

"Ah, good, good. How is the Avengers' pet?" Straight to the point as usual.

"Director, he's not a pet." There was no offense in her voice. She did have to admit that at times Stark was prone to treating Loki strangely as if he was some sort of project or as the director said, a pet.

"With these reports and everything going on in there and the way most behave around him you'd think he was." Fury chuckled and Natasha made note of the fact that there was no malice behind that chuckle.

"Director…have you had the time to look over the file I sent you?"

Fury's face went sour. He knew exactly what file she spoke of and it was a file he sat through once and did not ever wish to see again. At the mere mention of it he cringed and uncomfortably shifted about in his seat as frames from the file bombarded him. Nevertheless he gave a response, "Yes, I have. Very disturbing footage and if it weren't for the fact that it was evidence I'd burn it but the most I can do is store it away and try to not have nightmares of it. The screaming was the worst part."

"It was obscene." Natasha corrected. "Anyways, is anything going to be done about Gage and his team?"

"They have already been _handled_."

Natasha noted the way the director voiced the last word and she quickly realized exactly what he meant by that. Still, she wondered where they had been sent to. "I'll pass the information to agent Barton. He'll be glad to know."

"Shouldn't it be Loki the one to hear of this news?"

"He…didn't wish to pursue the matter in terms of them answering for what they did. He doesn't even acknowledge it. The last time one of us brought up the subject he wrapped both arms around his stomach and asked us to completely forget it ever happened."

Fury was stunned, every report Natasha sent in seemed more and more out of place and even now he often doubted they spoke of the same individual from a little over a year ago. His curiosity had reached its boiling point and said in a commanding voice, "Whenever you think it's possible have them all swing by. I want to talk to him; I want to see his reactions and his movements. I want to see the way he portrays his sincerity."

"Yes, sir." Natasha answered and the screen went black as the program shut down. She closed the laptop and sighed. Over time Fury's hostility had dwindled and she was thankful for it. Usually when Fury did not want something he usually made a point to glare and rave until his demands were met but oddly enough he had calmed down. Natasha was not sure if that was an entirely bad thing or a good thing. Either way she was sure they would find out eventually.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

It had been a very long time since Tony had been startled awake by Jarvis sounding an alarm. Tony rattled himself from under the blankets in a rush, he knew he had heard the digitized voice of Jarvis speaking with an alarmed tone but the fuzz in his head had not cleared. He blinked his eyes rapidly and after getting his eyesight back on track he sat up on the bed and rubbed his forehead.

"Sir, I have an urgent message from SHIELD director Nicholas Fury! He asks that you answer immediately!"

Tony groaned loudly as he slumped over on the pillow and closed his eyes thinking that it was far too early to hear Fury's voice screaming at him. Nevertheless he sat back up and said in a groggy voice, "Fine, fine, fine. Patch 'im through."

"Very good, sir." Jarvis answered.

"Stark, we have a situation here."

"Ugh, what is it, Fury? And more importantly isn't there someone else you can bother?"

"We don't have time for your pompous and snarky attitude. Get your team together and get your asses to the building. I'm sure you remember where it is. And when I mean your team I also mean your little pet."

Tony rolled his eyes as he answered, "I'll be sure to dress Fifi in his finest collar and brush his teeth before we leave."

"I want you people here in one hour! Not one minute after or I'm coming down there and getting you all myself!"

Tony sighed, how he hated being ordered around. He also hated the fact that he had to go down to Fury and also hated the fact that his urgency was probably overblown and whatever problem was present, if there even was one, could probably be resolved in less than thirty minutes. He dropped back on the bed with enough force to make his oversized bed quake. He placed a hand over his eyes and groaned while thinking that maybe it was best to do as Fury had said because he was sure as hell not going to answer the door if Fury did show up at his front door.

After dressing he had asked Jarvis to alert everyone to dress and meet him in the living room. After he dressed himself he had gathered everyone, including Loki, and informed them of Fury's orders. Natasha seemed a bit uneasy as did Clint but it was nothing compared to the look of hostility on Thor's face. Tony had noticed how he placed himself in front of Loki at the mention of SHIELD as if protecting him but what Tony had not voiced was that if he so much as felt there was anything out of order they would leave and if need be fight their way out.

Eventually they all complied and as tough as it was Thor was calmed down and was reassured that nothing was going to happen to Loki as each Avenger swore to not let any harm come to Loki. While Thor believed his friends and knew they would do all within their power to help but he was set on not letting his guard down. Even as they approached the building Thor's frame stiffened and as they entered the building his face was almost stone.

Loki on the other hand was as wary as a fox on the inside but was as calm as a wolf on the outside. He had been victimized in that building and the last time the people working there had seen him he was a bloody mess on the brink of bleeding to death and as they walked people whispered as they watched him walking. Whispers of "I thought he was dead" and "I can't believe he survived" filled the halls and in a twisted way Loki loved the reactions. Sure it was embarrassing to think that the last time those people had seen him he was being carried out and most likely bleeding all over the neatly waxed floor of the building but the looks of shock on their faces fed his ego. He walked calmly, shoulders upright, nose almost in the air and a quiet sinister smirk at the thought that they were surprised he had survived adorned his features. Still he felt a bit sick in his stomach at the thought of what he had gone through.

Natasha and Clint had led them to the last floor of the tall building. The entire floor looked like a war room and the bustling within it could almost be mistaken for a crowd ready for war and complete destruction. Screens, computers, files upon files and people busily running back and forth crowded the floor.

No one seemed to pay much attention to the Avengers and company much less when a huge door opened and out stepped a tall one eyed man. He stepped forward and the floor seemed to quiet down if only by a fraction. Fury turned his head quickly signaling them to follow him and so they did.

Once through the huge door they were in a long white hallway. The wall they came face to face with had doors as far as the eye could see. Fury had opened one of the doors and pointed a finger at Loki as he said, "You. Tall, dark and crazy." Thor snarled at the last word. His brother was not crazy and he was not about to let some mortal insult his family. Steve slightly bumped his shoulder against Thor's and when the thunderer looked to Steve he saw the captain slightly shaking his head. After letting out a frustrated sigh Thor turned his attention back to Fury. "Have a seat in here while I have a word with your pals."

"No, he stays with us." Tony immediately intervened.

"No, he stays _here_." Fury's tone was cold and serious and it matched his face perfectly well. The two men stared each other down but Loki was staring at both and before anything got out of hand he slightly raised his hands in the air as he walked over to Fury and said, "So be it."

"Brother, wait—"

"I'll be fine." Loki looked back at the group with a smile. "If their intentions were to imprison any of us they would have incapacitated us the moment we had walked in," Loki then turned to Fury with a sour look on his face and said, "But that is not what you intend to do, now is it?"

"No, it isn't." Fury answered and to Loki's surprise the man had eased up his facial and body language. Loki shrugged and walked into the room and Fury closed the door behind him. Once inside he saw a lone metal chair in the middle of the well lit room. A sudden rush of panic washed over Loki as he remembered the lone chair in the small cell he had been tortured in but he composed himself quickly and sat down facing the wall in front of him.

Fury stared at Loki through the one way glass wall in front of him. He made a scoff at the way Loki almost looked like another normal person while dressed as a civilian. The dark loose fitting jeans, the brown hoodie with the subtle green details and the boots almost made him seem normal and not so threatening at all.

On either side of Fury were two men operating two laptops and clicking away at the keys as two separate screens emerged from the long desk they were sitting in that covered the room wall to wall. Fury walked over to the desk and clicked several keys on a separate computer that sat in the middle and from the roof close to the walls came two more screens.

The Avengers watched carefully as the screens came into view and even though Tony was aware of the contents in the screens he said nothing but watched very carefully. Fury then walked to his right to one of the men and pressed a key as he leaned in on the laptop.

"All right, if you don't mind we have some questions for you but seeing as how you have a bit of a reputation we can't just assume you're telling the truth out of good will. So to help you out in that department and put my mind at ease we'll be giving you a little…push."

Loki rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth and turned from the wall in front of him. Suddenly a dart flew out of the right wall and landed on Loki's upper shoulder. He groaned loudly, not out of pain but by the surprise of the dart. As he motioned to remove the dart Fury commanded him not to remove it and as he heard the ruffling sound of feet scurrying about. He then turned to the people behind him and calmly said, "Truth serum, harmless as it is it's going to…persuade him to tell the truth."

Thor looked to Tony who nodded and in a disbelieving tone said, "You doubt my brother?"

"And you don't? Forgive me but seeing as how you have thousands of years of advantage over me in knowing him I don't, and trusting him is not going to be easy."

Fury then turned to Loki and began his inquiries. Simple questions such as his name, color of his eyes, from where he hailed. Questions used to test the equipment to make sure it properly worked for the coming questions that were important. After the two technicians in the room confirmed that the equipment worked flawlessly Fury then punched in a few keys and with his right arm pointed to the screen on the right side of the room.

On Loki's end a part of the wall before him flickered and a video played. The same video that Thor and the others could see and hear. Everyone laid curious eyes upon the contents safe for Fury who had already seen the video. His eye was intensely locked on Loki, studying every move and reaction no matter how subtle.

The video had been taped by someone with a small camcorder in what appeared to be a park of some sort in a remote location. None of that was important, what was important was the woman that the cameraman had been filming. The tall, blonde woman approached the camera holder and as she did she lifted her arm and a white light emitted from her palm as she spoke.

"Avengers of Midgard, in your position you have two items of interest to Karnilla the Norn queen. The queen demands that her crystals be returned with haste, you are given a month to retrieve them, and I strongly suggest you use your time wisely. In the event that you cannot retrieve said crystals or have run out of time you may compensate the queen by bestowing the damned trickster to her. Alive or dead, she cares not. Fail to produce either of these demands or both and we raze Midgard to dust."

As the woman, Enchantress, finished speaking she waved her glowing hand above her and vanished into thin air. The screen where Fury was had returned to display its previous content and the wall where Loki was had faded away.

Thor looked to Loki in disbelief and with his mouth agape he searched his brother's face. He could barely piece the puzzle together but deep inside he knew Loki would provide them with all the answers. Loki on the other hand lowered his gaze as he felt all their eyes resting upon him. He closed his eyes and lifted his gaze to rest it upon the group before him. Lament, shame and disbelief emitted from his eyes as he saw everything he had gained burn away in that instant.

"Who is that woman?" Fury's voice cut the silence.

"Amora the Enchantress." Loki said flatly as he stared at the wall before him.

"Why is she asking for these crystals and why would this queen want them so badly? I'm also assuming she was talking about you. Search every fiber in your being and tell us the truth. Choose your words very carefully, Loki."

The truth was simple but it was hard to admit to when a lie could so easily spare him from losing all he had recently gained. Friends, trust, peace of mind and his brother all hung in the balance. Fury was right, Thor knew Loki well enough to know all signs of him fabricating a lie. No matter how he ridiculed his older brother for being far less intelligent he and Thor shared one of many common traits: Thor picked up small details when focused and right now the god of thunder was very focused.

Loki sighed and gave in, not to the instinct of lying but to tell the truth. Redemption was a long hard road and often times one would travel it alone. Up until that moment Loki had thought he did not need to travel it alone but he was sure he would have to after confessing.

"After I was imprisoned in Asgard I sought to seek revenge on Thor." Loki's face went sour but as flat as he sounded his glazed eyes betrayed him. "I had heard of a crystal, at the time I thought it was one, forged by Hela herself that could prevent death. Taking on the Avengers all at once would have been suicide and foolish. I also came across news that Skurge had visited Midgard on orders of Amora so I used his rage of defeat at the hands of the Avengers to manipulate him into being a distraction after promising him their deaths and Thor's hammer." His lower jaw trembled as he recalled every detail and shamefully admitted to his plan. "I visited the Norn queen in the guise of Thor and asked the queen to spare a crystal. She was hesitant, she had stolen the crystals from Hela for her own gain and feared that word of the deed would reach Hela so I was denied the crystals. I informed her that Amora and Skurge also knew of the crystals and that she was in position of them. Her fear grew but I quenched it by informing her that after I had used the crystal I would deliver them to her."

"Karnilla informed me that there was in fact four crystals but said I would only need one of them but to keep it on me before, during and sometime after so the effects of death would not affect me. I then turned to Skurge as a temporary ally. I granted him some minor form of power to battle the Avengers while I sought out my brother to slay him." Tears were now crawling down both of Loki's cheeks as he looked to the wall.

Thor and the others were shocked. They knew Loki had returned to Midgard to kill Thor but they had not realized how elaborate his plan really had been and Tony bemused at the crystal he had found on Loki when they had taken him back to the mansion. Anger began to boil within him as he thought that Skurge injuring him had been a plot to gain access to Thor but it seemed illogical. Loki could have killed Thor while they had been distracted by Skurge but he had not. Furthermore, Loki had at one point been granted the freedom to roam the mansion as he pleased and as Clint would put it Loki could have killed his brother or them in their sleep especially after having turned off the device that forced Loki to hold his magic at bay. Tony also remembered Loki's behavior, his self inflicted wounds and the two suicide attempts. As logic set in his anger lessened until it was no more and he hoped his teammates' anger would subside as well, if they felt any.

"How did you accomplish all of this if you were imprisoned?"

"My cell had been treated to hold my magic but I found its treatment was not as strong as they had hoped. It was limited but I was able to use projections to the outside world. When my plan had come together and all was ready I was able to subside the guards and teleported out of my cell and left for Midgard."

"Why did you not inform Stark or Thor or anyone about that plan or the crystal? You knew it had been lent and it was expected of you—or Thor—to return it."

"…I do not know." The answer was vague but it was as sincere as the tears in his eyes and as he continued he tried to hold back a sob as his answers continued, "I wanted to confess to Thor but I was afraid…"

"Afraid of what?" Fury asked.

"I—I thought…" Loki stood from the chair and passed about in the room while clutching his head with both hands slightly tugging at his hair and stammering as he sobbed, "I was given a second chance and—and I planned to act upon said chance." Loki was now pulling at his hair viciously as if he needed the comfort of some form of pain.

"Loki, calm down." Fury said in a stoic tone obviously devoid of concern. "What were you afraid of?"

Loki sobbed loudly as he continued to pull on his hair and managed to say between breathless sobs, "I was afraid that…he—they—wouldn't love me anymore…" At the end of that sentence Loki dropped to the cold floor and sat down with his legs crossed under him and swinging back and forth while viciously tugging at his hair with both hands.

Fury then decided to keep pushing Loki for answers but most importantly he wanted to test his sincerity. "Why didn't you kill you brother in Las Vegas?"

"I couldn't."

"That's not an answer."

"I couldn't." Loki repeated.

Fury sighed deeply and repeated the question. This only managed to gain a momentarily angry reaction from Loki who stood up and grabbed the metal chair with both hands and hurled it at the wall where the voices were coming from.

"Because in my heart there is no room! Is that what you want to hear? That no matter how much I claim to hate him I could only say it but could never truly feel it within me! As jealous as I was of him and at often times felt hatred towards all others for treating me as if I was nothing I could never truly hate my brother because of all in my life he was the only who looked at me—_really_ looked at me and saw _me_ instead of what the others saw. All of Asgard I would happily slay but I could never slay the one person who actually loved me! Is that answer enough for you, you one eyed troll!"

Fury sighed and looked to both technicians who nodded to Fury and an incredulous look washed over his face but as quickly as it appeared it disappeared when he returned his gaze towards Loki who said, "I'm sorry, Thor, for everything I have ever done to you. I am also sorry for the grieve I have brought upon your friends…send me back to Karnilla and spare yourselves the trouble."

Thor stood straight and approached the desk where Fury was standing and slightly pushed him aside as he spoke into the intercom, "You have a lot to rectify, brother of mine. I believe you to never have been truly evil but misguided and while I and others of Asgard are to blame for it you also acted on the wrong choices. I also know that wish to correct past mistakes and seek out forgiveness. Redemption is a burden that most try to carry out and few succeed but know this, I will stand by you in this task."

"So will I." Jan said aloud as she stepped forward and next to Thor.

"Me too, buddy." Hank confirmed.

"Count me in too!" Bruce said as a smile formed in his face.

"I'm with you, soldier!" Steve spoke out.

"Don't forget about me, sport." Tony said as he smiled at Thor and then at Loki.

"Add me to that list!" Clint said and it earned a shocked look from Fury.

"I shall stand by your side in this task and many more, my friend." T'Challa announced and it garnered more agreements from the team.

"I'll be at your side as well." Natasha said as she smiled as well.

Thor had turned to face his friends and while hearing each plead to take Loki's side and prove that they still thought of him as a friend his eyes watered with joy and gratitude. He smiled at them and they smiled back.

Fury looked to the group and his stoic expression turned soft at the sight. He then turned to the glass wall and told Loki he could remove the dart from his arm. As Loki did he sat back down on the floor and hugged himself as he gently rocked himself back and forth as tears fled his eyes.

"You can go see him now." Fury motioned towards Thor but held Tony back as the group left to tend to Loki. Tony looked to the screens in front of the technicians while Fury said, "It seems like he was telling the truth."

"If you used these to monitor him than why did you shoot him up with truth serum?" Tony asked as he saw the results with his own eyes. Part of him was surprised but another part was not since that part knew Loki was being truthful.

"Truth serums don't work for shit. That dart contained water with some sugar. Placebo effect, Mr. Stark, will work on anyone whether they are human or gods. I merely wanted to test him."

Stark scuffed as a smile formed in his face and he shook his head. He then proceeded to join the rest of the team who had calmed Loki down after reassuring him he had not lost them. When Tony walked in he patted Loki in the back and gave him a brief one armed hugged which Loki returned.

"So how are you going to handle this small problem, Avengers?" Fury asked as he walked into the room.

The group smiled at each other and Steve stood up and said, "We'll get the crystals and take them back, come hell or high water." The group cheered on and Fury nodded as he laid his eyes on every person in the room eventually settling his eye on Loki.

"Sorry about the interrogation, we needed to be sure you were telling the truth and according to our computers you told the truth. You passed with flying colors."

Loki stared blankly at the director, he knew very well that no one was going to trust him at first but he still felt angry that he had ended up somewhat victimized by SHIELD once more. He stood up and looked the director in the eye and said, "I am very well aware of the fact that I will have to start over again with all the nine realms. Slowly I have gained my brother's trust and I hope to rectify all I have done. If you needed to be certain if I spoke the truth you could have used other methods. There was no need of the serum."

"Well, since we're being honest I might as well inform you that we don't use truth serums, they never work. That was just water with sugar we injected into your veins. Not harmful at all. I had to test you."

Loki frantically shifted his eyes as he studied the director's face, he slightly narrowed his eyes but softened them as a small part of him then realized he had been tricked by a mortal no less. Still, he could not help but feel somewhat angry. He wanted to yell but a half hearted chuckle escaped his throat as he expressively said, "You—water with sugar? Then how in the nine realms—you are a deceitful, conniving bastard!"

"Oh, said the guy who practically lies even when taking a piss." Fury said bemused as he smiled.

Even though Loki noticed no hostility in the director's words he still felt the need to verbally beat him down but he felt no desire to match wits much less be eloquent. He was tired and admitted he was hungry and eager to come up with a plan to solve their current situation. Loki folded his arms across his chest and blurted out words that made the director flinch in shock.

"In the words of your people, fuck off, you toilet-bowl licking dick-cheese!"

With that Loki left the room and Fury gave chase also shouting childish insults and claiming they were not done but it seemed like Loki was done. Half of the room erupted in laughter even if some tried to contain the urge to laugh while the other half which consisted of Tony, Hank and Thor remained silent while watching the rest of them laugh.

Tony groaned loudly as he crossed one arm across his chest and with the other pinched the area between his eyes as he shut his eyes for a moment. He then faced his friends and while trying to hold back some laughter as Loki's words echoed in his head he said, "Who taught him that?"

"Ha!" Clint said as he tried to gasp for air. He leaned forward and placed both hands on his knees as he kept laughing. He then raised his hand up and continued to laugh as Jan who was standing next to Clint slightly raised her hand but quickly lowered it as she quickly walked outside saying, "So I'm gonna go outside and say hello…to someone…anyone."

"Aaww, Janet." Hank said as he placed his right palm on his face and shook it slightly.

The laughter in the room quieted down but before calm could overtake them, Thor, who had been very quiet all along looked at the group in question and said, "What is a dick-cheese?"

The room immediately broke out in laughter once more, especially Clint and Tony who snorted as they laughed uncontrollably. Tony had to admit it was funny hearing the two Asgardians using Earthly insults when all along they heard Thor and Loki talking like royalty would. He also admitted it was good to laugh especially after an intense situation like the one that had transpired a few minutes ago. Still they composed themselves so they could properly focus on their next move.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

When Loki had been brought in from the Las Vegas he had passed out, which was fortunate because there were no medical supplies onboard the Quinjet and nothing to calm the pain. It also served purposeful to search Loki for any extra weapons he would be carrying. Beside the spear he had over a dozen small knives hidden away in every inch of his clothing he could hide away and a small sword easily tucked on the left side of his pants. Besides the weapons he had a crystal, which Tony gave no second thought to. Now that he knew, sort of, what the crystal was the Avengers rushed to the mansion at the request of Loki.

"So if he only took one of them how come this Amora said there were _crystals_ not _a_ crystal?" Tony questioned.

"It could be a trap of some sort." Hank added in.

"Aye, if Skurge attacked Loki and they had formed an alliance however brief it was it could be a trap set up by both of them." Thor jumped in when he returned from the basement with Loki and the crystal firmly in Loki's hands.

"Not just that, brother." Loki added as he patted Thor on the shoulder. "It is true that I had intended to leave Skurge here, I never actually figured he would be able to kill anyone so I would have left him here, powerless and defeated. He might have figured it all out when he saw me. I had never revealed my identity to him, doing so would have made things far more difficult. After retreating he would have sought out Amora and somehow convinced the Norn queen that it had been I who fooled her into giving me the crystal. It would appear that they stole the remaining crystals and did away with them blaming me for it."

"How do you know that?" Natasha asked as she walked in with two cups of coffee. She handed one to Clint and drank from the second one.

"A guess but an educated one nonetheless," Loki then turned to the group, "I can track down the rest of the crystals but it'll take time and I will only be able to point out the location of one at a time. I can use the crystal we already have as a honing beacon of sorts."

Loki then turned to look to the ceiling as most did when referring to Jarvis and with a confident smile said, "Jarvis, may I please have a hologram of the Midgardian map?"

"Certainly, sir." Jarvis answered.

Jarvis displayed before Loki a detailed map of the world. Loki looked at it carefully and hoped that none of the crystals had landed in the oceans. That would have been a hassle for sure. Loki cupped his hands together and formed a shell around the crystal and after a few seconds his hands began to glow with a faint green color. He closed his eyes as he began to concentrate.

After fifty-six minutes the rest of the team had sat down around the living room. No one had turned on the television in case the noise would distract Loki from his current task. Most of them were antsy but Thor, T'Challa, Natasha and especially Jan just kept watching Loki. He had been right about it taking a long time to track the crystals but eventually he opened his eyes again and with a victorious and devilish smirk he said, "Detroit, Michigan."

He turned to the group with an air of uncertainty. The crystal still glowed and was hovering over the hologram of the world map, more specifically over Detroit. He looked to the Avengers seeking an answer on the place he had just mentioned. Tony moved towards the map as he placed one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing his chin. Loki looked at Tony as he studied the man's face, "Something is not right?"

"No, it's not that. Let me make a few phone calls. No sense in walking into Detroit blind and clueless. Should do well to check all criminal activity too. In the mean time we should get some pizzas in here ASAP." Tony said as he moved away from the group and reached for his cell phone.

Clint moved quickly to order a few pizzas for them while Tony made a few calls. The team parted ways and each tended to their own activities. Loki had retreated to his own room to attend to a matter he had pushed back for a while now. As he entered his room he locked the door behind him and leaned against it as he gathered his strength. He sighed deeply and sat at the edge of the bed and closed his eyes as he concentrated.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Frigga loved to spend time in the gardens, not as frequently as when her sons were in their single digits but nowadays she found herself spending countless hours in the gardens during the soft and warm afternoons. She would walk at a slow pace and would take in the therapeutic scent of the flowers who danced wildly in the wind as if putting on a show to the gentle goddess in her honor. What the flowers were unaware of was that they honored her with their gentleness and beauty. She found solace in their petals, their texture, their shapes and colors, their perfumes promising a fantastical escape from reality and a visit to better times.

The wind swept gently past the goddess but with enough force to carry her hair and dress in its gentle grasp like a dance partner dancing to the sound of an old and familiar song. Frigga hugged herself as she moved past the silky grass and turned her head to lay her eyes on the stream that raced through the gardens. She made her way towards the stream and once at its shore she kneeled down as she focused on the smooth rocks at the bottom of the stream. Warm memories wrapped themselves around her mind as she stretched an arm out and inserted her hand in the cool water.

"I always said these gardens lacked beauty when you were not present within them."

Frigga shook as she drew her damp hand to her mouth. Her eyes went wide and her mouth went agape as she then moved her other hand to her chest as if trying to contain her heart from beating out of its proper place. The voice that had spoken was familiar and one she thought she would never hear again.

She turned around slowly and right behind her sitting in a marble bench sat an oddly dressed figure but as soon as she dove into the figure's burning green eyes she stood up unceremoniously with her arms outstretched as if to catch the figure before it would disappear or she would awaken if this had been a dream.

He had stood up and mimicked her actions and mother and son embraced in a hug that produced a loud thud as both bodies crashed into each other. Frigga let out a startled sob as she squeezed her son with all of her might, desperately clenching him in a hug and in disbelief. For a moment both of them remained silent as the wind blew and the warm setting sun shun its last rays upon them. The only sound was that of the trees, grass, flowers and stream singing to them.

"Oh, my son, I have missed you so."

"And I you, Mother."

Frigga finally released her son but kept her hands wrapped around his arms. She scanned her eyes over her son and was pleased to find a very strange smile on his face and a strange light emitting from his eyes. Features she had not seen on him in long centuries but were a very welcome sight nonetheless.

"How do you fare? Are you well? Where have you been?"

"I am fine, Mother. It has been a hardship I had never imagined but it has led to many changes. Welcome changes. You need not worry about me." Loki placed one of his palms on his mother's cheek and with his thumb wiped away a stray tear.

"Come, we must speak to your father and reverse this banishment and all will be as it once was."

"Mother, nothing anyone could ever do will reverse what has transpired. My banishment is permanent and," Loki's eyes went dim for a moment as he looked away but placed his eyes back on his mother's, "I no longer wish to be a part of this place."

"Do not speak in such a manner. This is your home, this is where you grew up, this is where your family resides—" Desperation was engulfing Frigga as she looked to her son with pleading eyes, "Have you no love left for Asgard?"

"Asgard itself? Of course. You? No words off my silver tongue could possibly do justice to my love for you, Mother. Same can be said about my brother were he here. The rest of this place has no place in my heart."

Frigga closed her eyes and placed her face on Loki's chest as he wrapped his arms around her, giving her a gentle hug to soothe her but soon found he was also shedding tears. Not tears of sadness, he was convinced of never returning to Asgard not by the threat of death but by the change within him that had been caused by kindness and understanding and he would do anything to keep said change within him. He did feel remorse for abandoning his mother but despite his hate for his father he knew he would care for her and Thor would also return to Asgard eventually and she would be in better hands. There was no need for the trickster in Asgard much less when he knew he was not wanted by most of them.

"Where will you stay?" Frigga said through muffled sounds as she kept her face buried in Loki's shirt.

"In Midgard. I have found a place amongst Thor and his allies. The irony is almost comical." Loki informed her as a subtle chuckle escaped his lips.

"Will I ever see you again?"

"Of course you will. Good bye is not forever and if you will it I can return to visit but only _you_, Mother." Loki's tone was almost that of a warning. A small hint of sadness crept into him as he realized his mother only wanted to piece their broken family back together and he could not blame her for such a desire. Perhaps in long years if his father would for once stop to listen—really listen to what he had to say then there might be a chance that he may return but that notion was years away from being realized.

Frigga tightened her hug and a subtle sniffle escaped from her. She wanted to see her two sons back home but more than anything else she wished for their happiness and if it meant that she had to let go she would, painfully, oblige. She slightly nodded and brought her gentle eyes upon his and a smile formed. She wiped away her tears with one hand while still grasping his arm with the other, "Behave and take great care, my son. I eagerly await your visits and I promise it'll remain between us both—I only want happiness to reign over you as it once did."

Frigga lowered her gaze but Loki gently placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face and looked into her teary eyes. How he wished she would not cry, he meant not to cause her distress but this was something he knew he had to do. He knew if he would somehow have his banishment revoked he would return to his twisted ways and while a portion of himself found it rather rejuvenating and enriching it was only temporary and it would eventually be the cause of his destruction.

Loki had to admit even to himself that his desire to change was mostly due to a deep seated selfish desire. When he had seen how he was treated so differently in Midgard, the praises, the attention, the affection, the tolerance, and the freedom to be himself and fear no judgment or reprimand for his being had ignited a longing he had buried within his core for long centuries and now that he had that he was not going to give it up easily and without a fight. He did adulate the fact that in this selfish behavior he had been able to once again feel no hatred towards his brother and that was also something he had been craving for.

Still, there was sadness in the fact that he would have limited time with his mother and in that moment he wished he could turn back time to spend as much time as he could with her but he was comforted by the fact that he would often visit her. As far as he aware he was not breaking any of his father's laws. Odin had made it clear that if he would set foot in Asgard again he would be put to death, this was true, but Odin never forbade him to set foot in Asgard again as a projected illusion. He was not known as a trickster for nothing. He laughed internally as he remembered Stark making a comment about him making the sneakiest and greatest lawyer on Earth. At the time he had not been aware of what a lawyer was but when he researched it and asked Jarvis for references he had laughed at the idea. It was those moments when he had not been condemned for being himself that pulled him to his brother and his friends.

He hugged his mother tightly and she returned the hug, after a few minutes he planted a gentle kiss on her brow and said, "Do not fret, Mother, I will return for another visit. Hopefully it'll last longer than this one and for that I apologize, I only wished to see you for a moment."

"I look forward to your next visit, my dear, sweet Loki." Frigga said as she in turn planted a kiss on his brow and as she caressed his cheeks with both hands she added, "It warms my heart to see you smiling and happy."

Loki could not resist the urge to hug his mother once more and when he did he almost squeezed the air out of her but she did not mind. Frigga inhaled sharply as she held back tears as to not make it difficult for him to leave. It was difficult enough as it was to know he would visit for a few moments every so often but it also sent a warm sensation through her to know he cared enough about her to visit her, to seek her out.

"I love you, son."

Loki took a step back and as he gently held Frigga's chin a small smile formed on his face. The wind picked up its pace and hit both of them but as it hit Loki he slowly disintegrated into soft, silky sand and vanished with the wind but not before saying, "I love you too, Mother."

Frigga had held out her hand as Loki vanished and there it remained even after he had left. After her arm bothered her from holding it out she placed both fisted hands against her shoulder as small tears trailed down her cheeks. She was eternally grateful that her son had at least taken time to see his mother and to let her know he was safe. She did not know the mortals who had allied themselves with her sons but Frigga knew Thor would look after Loki and if his eyes had been sincere, which she felt deep in her core that he had spoken the truth, his internal change meant he would look after Thor as well. Frigga would retrieve to her bed chambers in peace, knowing her youngest son was safe and happy and in turn she felt happiness creep in as she realized that perhaps that realm and the people who allied themselves with Thor and Thor himself were the key to Loki finally having peace.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Back in Midgard Loki opened his eyes once more and felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He sniffled as he brought up a hand to his left cheek and when he retrieved it he found his fingers moist. The subtle light from the windows behind him flashing in the tears. He gave a sort of frown as he had been set on not crying any longer but his expression softened as he realized that in the time he had been in Midgard he had spilled tears he had denied an escape to. Sure, he had wept when Odin had confessed his true heritage to him, before fighting Thor as he had set the Bifrost to destroy Jotunheim, when his father had denied any sort of acknowledgement towards him as he hung from the Bifrost though it could not have been said he had hung on to dear life after that fateful "No, Loki", then much later when he faced his brother yet again a little over a year ago but those stray tears, Loki found, were just spilling over because they had reached the top and had overflowed.

The tears he spilled now were the ones he had backed up and if need be he would spend years letting them go. Crying was not a sign of weakness, it was as natural to any living being as it was to breathe and drink and eat. He had also been told by Jan that bottling up his feelings would do far more damage than good. Loki eventually came to accept this as a fact and while shedding so many tears so easily unnerved him he came to accept it as part of a healing process.

"Loki, can I come in?" The voice on the other side of the door had belonged to Jan. She always seemed to have a perfect timing to appear whenever Loki's thoughts traveled to troubling waters. As if fate sent her to bring some cheer and remind him that the ugliness of the past was behind him and a wonderfully bright future was ahead.

"Enter."

Jan opened the door and as the light from the hallway peered in she saw the invading tears and as she closed the door she walked over to him, concern in her footsteps. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jan. Just paid a visit to my mother in Asgard. Was difficult to say good bye."

"But your dad said that if you—"

Loki raised an open palmed hand and said as he smiled at Jan, "I did not set foot in Asgard myself. It had only been an astral projection."

Jan blinked a few times while staring at Loki and he suddenly remembered Jan was no sorceress and the term was alien to her. He chuckled as he wiped away the tears and stood up. Jan on the other hand smiled and said, "Okay, you are _going_ to have to explain that to me." Jan giggled as she slightly punched Loki on the shoulder in a playful manner and continued, "Is there anything you can't do?"

Naturally a negative thought was about to slip through his lips but that was something he was working hard to suppress, it was a trait he used in Asgard yet had no place in Midgard. He would make it a task to rid himself of many old and useless habits that would otherwise corner him and send his mind back to dark places where fire ruled and a cold grasp coiled itself around his heart.

He focused on the amused mortal before him and gave her a ridiculously wide smile, he also tasked himself with smiling more and frowning less, "There is _always_ room for improvement and learning, dear Jan."

"Well, then tell me all about it. May not be able to learn it but I can know _of_ it."

This mortal's curiosity towards him made him blush embarrassingly and if he had not known better he would say her level of curiosity was as high as his. Not to mention all this curiosity towards him meant more attention to his person and he found that notion, that idea, ever so pleasant. So as both walked back to the living room where the rest of the group had already made away with one large box of pizza, thankfully Clint had ordered five large pizzas, he indulged her curiosity with intricate details on astral projection and how he came to learn it. It had not been easy but being stubborn was a trait that benefited him in his magical studies.

Jan listened carefully even if she could only imagine half of what Loki spoke of, part of her wishing she could do most of the things he spoke of. Every time she shifted her face a little Loki picked it up as a sign that she did not understand well but did not want to bother him with repeating himself but Loki happily repeated with simpler terms and examples. Both of them locked themselves away into their own little world of teacher and student as they set aside pieces of pizza before Tony, Thor or Steve could do away with them before anyone else could eat.

"It was no easy task but admittedly after a few months I was able to conquer it." Loki said as he bit into a piece of pizza, that one piece particularly overflowing with pieces of meat.

"Okay, I gotta ask. What is the hardest thing you had to learn _and_ does it still give you trouble?"

Loki shifted his eyes sideways briefly and the answer came to him as he took another small bite from the pizza, "Shape-shifting into giant beasts. It took me a while to learn it but it was worth it. I cannot say it bothers me too much but it does take a toll within my core."

"How do you mean?"

"Well," Loki started and suddenly remembered Jan's confused gaze so he continued the explanation with a comparison she would understand, "It's sort of like your cell phone. When you use it to communicate either by word or written it does tap into its battery's life but by a mere fraction but when you use it to idly scroll through the internet it drastically drains your battery because it is using more of its power source. It is the same for me when I shape-shift into giant beasts."

"Isn't that dangerous?" T'Challa asked as he had overheard the duo but had been paying attention.

"It depends. My life force and my magical core are practically one and the same and while there are numerous advantages to it there are also disadvantages that could proof fatal. If I used up my entire magical core I would be as weak as a new born babe and the smallest of injuries could do away with me. I would have to make it a note to _not_ remain in a shape that drains too much of me, is all."

Jan and T'Challa nodded as they understood what Loki had said and eventually they all fell silent as they continued to eat their dinner. Clint had walked back into the living room and found out one of the two pieces he had set aside were now gone and found Loki already biting into the second piece he had set aside. He rushed over to the Asgardian and while pointing at the piece he said in a whiny voice, "Loki, I set aside those two pieces for _me_!"

Loki looked down at the piece he had bitten into and idly apologized stating that he should have removed the pieces or at the very least left a sign stating those two pieces were not to be touched. Jan agreed with Loki as she continued to eat her pizza but Clint had had his heart set on those two pieces who were now mostly sitting at the bottom of the younger god's stomach.

Clint was a serious person when it came to his work and duty but it was not wise to say he did not have a childish streak about him especially after joining the Avengers and meeting people like Tony and Jan and even Bruce's alter ego who was prone to brutish and childish behavior, which Thor had the unfortunate privilege of being a witness to. That childish streak had been displayed before and it reared its troublesome presence once more.

Clint grabbed Loki by the wrist and lifted his arm up, the hand holding the stolen piece of pizza and licked it. After licking the piece of pizza he grabbed another from one of the boxes and said in a teasing manner, "Enjoy your pizza, stretch."

Jan groaned disgustingly while Loki dropped the piece of pizza and wiped his hands on a small paper towel. He closed his eyes but maintained his composure as he grabbed another piece and drank from his cup. The rest of the table stared at him mostly confused that he had not said or done anything about Clint. Of course, it was safe to say that none of them knew for a fact, safe for Thor, that his expertise in spells and magic had reached a point where he merely had to will the magic to happen without so much as uttering a whisper.

Clint sat down to eat his pizza but after the third bite he felt a tingling sensation in the back of his throat. As he continued to chew the tingling turned into a burn that made Clint sweat and gasp for air. Clint set the piece down and reached for his cup of soda but as he tilted the cup the contents froze. He began to panic as he reached for Tony's cup and it also froze when he touched the cup. The burning was now causing his eyes to water and his face turn red. The rest of the team seemed uneasy but then turned to Loki who said as he displayed a devilish smile, "You Midgardians have interesting plants and herbs. Particularly the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, supposedly this realm's hottest chili pepper. By your reaction it would be correct to assume so, right Barton?"

"Oh…you…son of a…someone do something!" Clint gasped as he ran through the kitchen trying to find any liquid that would not freeze on contact.

Loki laughed and subtly waved his fingers as he said, "I would advise you to consume some milk as it will stop the burning sensation."

Jan began to laugh as she heard Clint chugging down something and then exhaling in relief. Loki placed both elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers and placed his chin upon his hands as he took in Clint's pained groans and the laughter emitting from the rest of the table. How fond memories of tricks and pranks flowed back into him. Jan had stretched out a hand with her palm and Loki, who finally understood the gesture, planted his palm on hers while still staring into the kitchen eagerly awaiting Clint's arrival. He was starting to feel like his old self again and it felt good.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

It had been early in the morning, too early for some of them but they had been up nonetheless. According to Loki one of the crystals was located in Detroit so the night before Tony had placed a call which ended up being a serious amount of calls to gather some information. If Tony was right, usually he was or at least that is what he told himself and others, then the crystal had magical abilities and it would not have been long before someone would find that out and put its abilities to use.

As the group traveled to Detroit in the Quinjet he gave the group details on the various and exhausting phone calls from the night before and hoped he would not have to repeat himself.

"Okay, so last night I put in some calls to various sources to see if anyone would know anything about Detroit's current affairs. I put in a call to Storm but he told me to contact Parker who then told me to contact Murdock who brushed me off and said SHIELD would know far more so then I called Fury."

"Wow." Hank said while he and Clint laughed but Tony brushed it off and continued.

"Anyways, mostly it's all been quiet except that about a month ago this guy," Tony pointed to the air and immediately a picture of a bald, grotesquely obese man in a suit appeared thanks to Jarvis, "known as the Kingpin made a surprise appearance. Six months back he and Daredevil went at it again and big boy here was sent to jail, while in jail someone with a grudge and a pansy name like "Schemer" took over the empire that burger king here spent building from the ground."

"It's not the first time he's lost it all but usually he retreats to Japan to start over and then runs back to New York where he mostly operates out of, sheesh everybody is in New York nowadays no wonder he was so low under the radar, good move, either way for some reason he wound up in Detroit. According to police reports and such ever since a month ago crime has been up, more drugs running in the streets, more corruption and dare I say it, more trouble. Now, SHIELD let us in on a tiny spot of information that could be huge for us."

"Long story short—"

"Too late!" Jan shouted from the back of the group.

"Ahem! Tonight, there is an auction being held by the Kingpin himself and guess what is up for grabs?"

Tony slid the screen sideways and a picture of one of the crystals encased in a glass box showed up. Loki gasped confirming it was one of the Hela crystals.

"How do we retrieve it?" Loki asked.

"We could infiltrate the auction and "buy" the crystal. No harm, no foul and best of all no one is put in danger by going head on into this situation." Natasha spoke up.

"I second the notion." Clint said as he raised his hand up high.

"I hate to rain on your parade, Nat." Hank said as he stood up and carefully looked through the Kingpin's SHIELD profile, "But a year and some odd time ago you, Clint, Tony, Bruce, Steve and Thor were all displayed on national TV as you fought the aliens in New York. Hell, you might as well waltz in with a sign that says, "Hi, we're the Avengers!" I don't see that happening."

"You just gave me a fantastic idea!" Tony said as he smirked and looked towards Loki intently.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"This is so stupid!" Loki groaned as Tony finished fitting him in a leather jacket. Tony's grand idea was to do exactly what Natasha had said but with a twist thanks to Hank's input, who was also dragged in to Tony's idea and looked about as enthusiastic as Loki did at the moment. Both of them had been set up with black clothing, leather jackets and sunglasses despite it being almost 10:00 at night.

"No, it's not, you'll see, it'll work and we'll be out of there before you know it."

Both Loki and Hank rolled their eyes and sighed loudly, Tony's idea was to use Loki's magic to change Tony's appearance and both Loki and Hank would go in as Tony's bodyguards. Tony had flipped through the files of SHIELD and came across the Vulture randomly. The rest of the team would be perched on the roof keeping an eye out on them. It was, for the most part, safe but Loki did not feel it safe. He would have preferred someone else be down there instead of Tony knowing full well Tony would probably do something they might all regret.

"Why must we wear these when it is late at night, Stark?" Loki said as he held the sunglasses loosely in his hands.

"It'll make you guys look more like thugs."

"Thugs? I don't even swear! We're going to get caught!" Hank protested.

"Guys, have a little more faith in me."

Hank and Loki looked at each other and Hank formed a giant smile and with a hope in his step said, "We're gonna get shot!"

"That's more like it!" Tony said as he sarcastically smiled and patted Hank in the back, "Now, do us all a favor and neither of you speak. You're both my mute, slightly dumb bodyguards and I'm just here to do some shopping. Now, Loki, let's make with the voodoo and do whatever it is that you do."

"Very well." Loki muttered under his breath and started the spell. Glamour spells were simple and one of the first things he had learned in his youth so all it took from his part was to wave his hand in front of Tony and soon before them stood an old man wearing a strange outfit. The outfit was in fact similar to a vulture in color and in the wings. The fact that the old man's nose could resemble a beak was silenced due to trying to portray a serious and as Tony had put it "thuggish" appearance.

The three of them walked out of the alley and towards the building next to them, an abandoned warehouse which was under the Kingpin's name and was often used to temporarily hold transactions of the illegal kind. At the door were two massive men who looked like they would have preferred to be elsewhere. One of the men held a crumbled list of names in his hands and as soon as he saw the old man approaching he lifted the list to his face while the other man held out an arm to stop the trio.

"Name?"

"Toomes." Tony said, apparently the spell also changed his voice, which was great since Tony had no idea what the man sounded like.

"The Vulture, eh? I don't remember you accepting the invitation." Said the first man as he flipped page after page and in that one second a bead of sweat began to form on Tony's brow or at least it felt like so.

Luckily Loki slightly lifted his index finger and as soon as the man reached the last page The Vulture's name was seen at the bottom of the list. The man nodded to the other man who lowered his arm and stepped to the side welcoming them in. As Tony, Loki and Hank stepped through the two men warned them about not causing any trouble lest they be dealt with harshly.

Once inside they stood in the middle of a well cooled and spacious warehouse. There were about thirty people standing in front of a tall and wide stage where an old man stood in the middle of it and right next to him was a podium with the crystal atop a small silk pillow and a glass case around it. To the right of the old man stood Kingpin and a strange and disfigured man wearing a suit stood next to Kingpin. The man's face looked like it had been cut off and then someone tried to place it back together but was obviously unsuccessful. Tony also noticed the heavy security in the warehouse and some very well armed thugs surrounding the Kingpin.

After five minutes two more people had walked inside and had taken a spot amongst the crowd and after the second person had walked in the two guards by the door had shut and locked the front door and one of them nodded to the front. Several of Kingpin's men handed out numbered slips of papers big enough to be seen by the auctioneer. As soon as the men returned to take their place beside the Kingpin the old man at the front began to speak quickly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. We are here for the bidding of this exquisite crystal of unknown origins. It is three inches long in length, harder than a diamond and its very fibers are unknown to man. Found within the deepest jungles of Wakanda and brought all the way here. Once the sale is concluded a full report of its findings will be offered to the owner of this rare beauty."

The crowd broke out in excited murmurs but the old man raised both hands to signal the crowd to quiet down so he could continue, "Ladies and gentlemen, the bidding will start at $12,000! Do I have $12,000?" The old man asked rapidly as he swung a hand over the crowd and eagerly shouted, "I have $12,000 for number 33 in the middle!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

The auction went on and the competition for the crystal was fierce. As the price was hiked up there were less and less people participating but to Kingpin's gleeful surprise there were two participants who eagerly tried to win. It was no surprise to him that Toomes fought so eagerly to lay claim to the crystal, the man was a notorious collector and whatever he fancied he got. The other man was just known as The Profile, odd and quiet man.

Both men continued to battle for the crystal and Tony was getting agitated. He looked up at Loki and as soon as their eyes locked Tony then slightly nodded in the other man's direction giving Loki an understanding of what Tony was thinking.

Loki turned his gaze to the front and remained still as to not arouse suspicion. He kept staring but behind those still green eyes he effortlessly worked a silent spell. Tony's competition raised his hand once more and Tony groaned inwardly, had this not been necessary he would have walked away. There was a reason he hated auctions and the thought of someone else walking away with something he wanted was unacceptable.

The old man shouted the new price and as soon as Tony raised his arm again the other man did as well. Tony then growled as he raised his hand up and the old man announced a new price but this time the competitor's arm froze. The man himself froze completely and the old man shouted his final warnings and soon declared Tony, or better said, Toomes the winner. As soon as the room erupted in excited murmurs The Profile began to move again, blinking in disbelief that he would have reacted so slowly. In his anger he crumbled the numbered paper in his hands and tossed it to the floor as he walked to the exit.

Kingpin ordered his men to escort The Vulture to his office in the back as the rest of the men cleared the warehouse. Kingpin wore a huge smile on his face as he walked into his office, the price of the sold crystal wildly dancing in his head in utter joy. Loki and Hank silently followed but as they walked into the office they were furiously studied by Kingpin's own men.

The office was small and uncharacteristically simple as opposed to Kingpin's office in New York but then again he was not living in high luxury as he once was and this was only a warehouse. Kingpin sat behind a huge desk while three men, one of them being the disfigured man, stood idly behind him and a fourth one brought a laptop to him and showed him some contents. Kingpin's face gave away no indication but Loki noticed the difference in the man's rise and fall of his chest. He immediately scanned the room with his eyes and sized up Kingpin's men and their obviously present and accounted for guns. Loki remained calm and collected as he recalled where every single one of his blades were hidden and was already playing out at least four scenarios in his head.

"_This was a very stupid idea."_ Loki thought.

"So, Mr. Toomes," Kingpin started as he signaled for Tony to have a seat in the chair in front of Kingpin's desk. "I don't think I've ever heard of you walking around with rent-a-goon types before." Kingpin said as he pointed to Loki and Hank.

"Been having troubles lately." Tony answered.

"Troubles? What kind of troubles?"

"The kind that makes you hire goons to watch your back. Punisher troubles."

"Ah, him. Well," Kingpin continued as he sighed while placing one of his massive hands on the laptop and slowly turned so Tony could see the screen while he spoke. "It now seems you have Kingpin troubles."

The screen displayed The Vulture's SHIELD profile but what got Tony, Loki and Hank's attention was the area on the screen Kingpin was pointing to. Tony's eyes went wide as he read the bold red letters that so casually spelled "incarcerated".

For a split second everyone in the room went still as every person within took in this new information and as the gears in their brains turned with a reaction Loki, Tony and Kingpin and Jigsaw were the first ones to react.

Kingpin backed himself away from the desk with his arms and quickly turned to run away, two of his men followed him. Jigsaw withdrew a 9mm handgun and pointed it at Tony's head. Tony quickly stood up as he watched Jigsaw pointing a gun to his head. Loki had grabbed one of his smaller blades and tossed it towards Jigsaw. When the blade struck Jigsaw in the hand he dropped the gun and groaned loudly as he backed away.

Hank grabbed Tony and both ran towards the closest window as the rest of Kingpin's men opened fire on them. Hank and Tony jumped out of the window and landed roughly on the pavement and as they turned around a feverishly bright green light erupted from within the office.

As the energy surged the force of it broke the remaining windows and as the shattered glass flew out Tony and Hank covered themselves with their arms but a few seconds later ran towards the window they had just jumped out of.

"Loki!" Hank shouted.

As they peered into the office they saw Loki standing in the middle of the office surveying the area, searching for the disfigured man but he had been pushed out of one of the windows and had run into a white car where the Kingpin was to make his getaway. The rest of his men lay at Loki's feet unconscious.

"Are you all right?" Tony asked both Hank and Loki. Hank nodded breathlessly but Loki continued to scowl as he looked out of the window. He then raised his right arm and with an open palm muttered something under his breath and Tony's glamour vanished to reveal Tony in his iron suit.

The sound of running feet and heavy breathing made itself present as the rest of the team joined them on the ground. Thor quickly stood beside his brother and surveyed him, making sure he had not been injured, when he saw his brother whole and hale he breathed easily and looked back to Tony.

"They got away with the goddamn crystal!" Tony shouted. It was safe to assume they had left with the crystal because no one was going to just leave it behind even if Tony had not seen them take it. He powered his suit and flew up a few feet above the team but looked down when Natasha said, "They got into a white Mercedes, headed east and fast!"

Before Tony had time to acknowledge the information a group of seven men, obviously working for Kingpin, made their presence known. They were huge, muscular as Thor, one of them even towering over the god of thunder. Some carried weapons, thick chains, long and slim steel pipes, one of them wielding two fourteen inch blades and one held two small sub-machine guns.

Steve weighed his options carefully. The main priority was to retrieve the crystal and as he stood there the further away Kingpin got. In a sudden call lead by the fact that they had a limited time to retrieve all the crystals Steve gave his orders, "Iron Man, you, Hulk, Thor, Wasp and Ant-Man go after the Kingpin! The rest of us will deal with these scumbags!" After he gave the order he was more certain than ever that it was the right call. If Kingpin succeeded in going into hiding they would have to hunt him down and it would surely take time and time was something they could not afford to lose.

Iron Man flew into the sky, Banner swiftly or at least as much as he could, transformed into the Hulk, Wasp shrunk in size and took to the sky as well, Thor followed close behind, Ant-Man pressed the mechanism on his suit and grew to a towering size and followed the rest of the group.

Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Black Panther and Loki, who remained behind the group carefully assessing the targets and the environment, stared down at the assailants. The assailants scowling back and measuring them all while confidence surged through them as they outnumbered the remaining Avengers and guest.

The assailants gave out loud grunts and roars and raced towards their targets. They were well aware of how resourceful the Avengers were so all seven went head on as to leave no room for mistakes.

Captain America drew his shield and ran towards the oncoming assailants firmly holding his shield to tackle the first man he could rush into. Hawkeye had spotted a fire escape ladder behind him. He quickly ran to the stairs and reached for his arrows while locking into the targets. Black Widow had removed two of her handguns and as she ran towards the assailants she aimed and fired ahead. She had not been accurate, this was not her plan, her plan was to distract the man with the two sub-machine guns long enough to subdue him. Black Panther ran at the man with the chain and with a precision most men lacked he had reached for his vibranium knives, one in each hand, and aimed for the chain. Loki remained still, he was never one to run towards his targets, he made his targets run to him, had _them_ give up any comforts to seek _him_ out.

The towering man with the fourteen inch knives ran towards Loki at full speed. Loki remained silent, still and vigilant. The man's thundering footsteps gave Loki a sense of the man's weight. As the assailant approached he let out a roar as he lifted both knife wielding hands, the blades outward towards his target. As he approached Loki never even blinked.

About a few inches away from his target the assailant threw most of his power into his upper body to stab his target. As his upper body lunged forward and his blades sliced through the air he found he had cut through smoke. The assailant's body had not been erected to its normal standing pose when a considerable amount of weight had pushed his upper body a few inches down. His target now stood on his shoulder blades, blades of his own in his hands. Blades that slashed the assailant's back and quickly followed by a swift kick to the back of his head which sent him sliding across the pavement and his target, now assailant, stood tall as he blocked the man holding the long pipe that had run towards Loki.

The man holding the chain grabbed each end of the chain and held it up over his body to stop Black Panther's attack. Black Panther's knives easily cut the chain and in that brisk moment of trying to compose himself from the shock of seeing the thick chain sliced so easily the assailant had received a kick to his solar plexus from the Black Panther. Black Panther's attack continued as he grabbed the man's shirt with both hands before he could fall back further. Using the momentum of the drive of pulling his target towards him Black Panther lowered his head to expose the top of his skull and drove it into the assailant's face breaking the man's nose. The impact had caused a fuzzing pain in Black Panther's head but he quickly brushed it off as he ran towards another assailant.

As Black Widow approached her now distracted target the man lowered his left arm and with his right arm threw a haymaker. Black Widow stopped in her tracks and moved her upper body backwards in time to see the man's weapon wielding fist fly in front of her face and miss her. She took the opportunity to launch her right hand at the man and landed a solid hit to the right side of her assailant's face which caused him to hit the ground hard.

Hawkeye had taken a spot on the fire escape ladder of the warehouse and had stopped to aim an arrow at one of the assailants. What he had failed to noticed when he was climbing the ladder was that one of the assailants had taken off behind him and while Hawkeye was aiming the assailant threw a swift punch to the back of Hawkeye's neck causing the archer to momentarily sway. The assailant then grabbed Hawkeye, lifted him and tossed him down to the ground where his body made a solid thud.

Black Widow had seen what had happened but she had been busy intercepting an assailant of her own. When she saw Hawkeye's body hit the floor her eyes went wide with worry as she shouted, "Hawkeye!"

Her natural reaction was to aid her partner but when she removed her eyes from her assailants one of them took the opportunity to deliver a swift kick to her midsection. As the shin made contact with Black Widow's midsection she was blown back and hit the pavement hard.

Three of the assailants made their way towards Hawkeye as he feebly moved his head side to side. Captain America grabbed his shield and ran behind the man wielding a pipe that stood over Hawkeye and raised the pipe with both hands over his head. Captain America ran as fast as he could and tossed his shield at the assailant's back. When the shield hit the man he flew forward and hit the second man that was in front of him and both hit the ground hard.

The third assailant making his way towards Hawkeye picked up the pace but before he could land a blow Captain America's shield had diverted its course. As it was returning to the captain it had begun to glow green and spun faster as it turned towards the charging assailant and hit him in his midsection. The blow sent the man flying across the area and hit a parked car in the distance rendering him unconscious.

Loki went towards Hawkeye as he waved a hand which caused the shield to magically reappear in Captain America's grip. Once over Hawkeye Loki grabbed the archer by the suit and as he stood up his bow and a handful of arrows appeared in a cloud of dark green smoke. As Hawkeye gripped his weapons firmly Loki shoved him in the direction of the fallen and assaulted Black Widow while yelling, "Help Natasha!"

Now committing Black Widow's mistake of turning his back on his assailant Loki felt the sting of the steel pipe strike him on his back and while it only served to distract him momentarily it was enough to have let his guard down. Loki fell forward but before hitting the ground the towering assailant grabbed Loki by the collar of his tunic and with all of his might tossed him. Loki flew across the area and landed with a solid thud against the wall of one of the buildings. The stinging sensation invaded the back of his head, his back and shoulders. As he groaned loudly he fell back to the ground landing on his hands and knees.

Loki coughed but before he could react the assailant with the sub-machine guns grabbed Loki by the throat and lifted him as much as he could. The assailant aimed one of his remaining weapons at Loki's head but before he had time to pull the trigger Loki had snaked one of his hands and placed an open palm directly over the assailant's chest. As green energy surged and wailed under Loki's very flesh as flash of bright green light erupted from Loki's palm and a beam of magical energy sent the man flying. The assailant yelled out as he hit the pavement hard but soon succumbed to the mercy of unconsciousness.

Black Widow, now assisted by Hawkeye, had overpowered her second assailant. She grabbed the man's wrist, twisted it so his arm was now behind him which in turn gave Black Widow enough time to slam an elbow to the back of the assailant's head rendering him unconscious.

Black Panther and Captain America were back to back as they fought off two assailants. Black Widow and Hawkeye fought the remaining two. Loki was growing weary of the distraction. The seven assailants were nothing more than an attempt to kill them but from what they had displayed it was more of a minor distraction at best. There was also the worry of Kingpin getting away with the crystal even if the rest of the team had gone after Kingpin he was not sure whether they had found it or not.

As one assailant lifted a wooden bat he felt the material soften and as he brought both hands down he looked on curiously to see that instead of a bat he now held a python. The creature hissed and in a swift motion clamped its jaws around the assailant's throat bringing the massive man down to his knees. Hawkeye aimed his weapon at one of the assailants and fired three arrows. While in midair the arrows began to glow in a faint green light and multiplied into twenty-four arrows that exploded when they came into contact with the target. The target fell to the ground and did not move from that point on. The remaining assailant had seen the rest of his partners rendered helpless and unconscious and rather than put up a fight he looked on to the group and with a loud gasp he ran away.

Before any of them could celebrate or boast about their win a screeching voice from all of the communicators yelled out, "Guys, we need help! They've got us cornered! They have rocket laun—" Knowing full well they would not reach them in time to prevent a disaster Loki waved his hand and the group disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

When Hawkeye opened his eyes again they appeared in the middle of a street still within the vicinity of the industrial park. The street had dozens of skid marks, dozens of empty bullet casings and debris everywhere. As he looked on he saw Iron Man fighting off several men who had taken rocket launchers and had aimed most of them at the Hulk who tried his best to swat them away but the fire and smoke was preventing the Hulk from accurately disabling his assailants.

As he set his eyes on the Hulk Loki took a step back. While he would never openly admit it to anyone of them he was still apprehensive of the massive brute and it would certainly take a while for him to come to terms with the Hulk. Loki looked on and searched for his brother and quickly found the older god effectively fighting off a herd of assailants as if he were merely shooing away ants. Loki found himself smirking at the sight before him. As he looked on he frowned when he saw Ant-Man shrunk back down to his normal size and being attacked by several armed men. As he set a foot forward to assist Captain America, Black Panther and Black Widow ran to his rescue.

Loki was going to rush over to Ant-Man but something did not seem right. He looked around and counted the group once more. Hulk, Hawkeye and Iron Man were found. He had just seen Thor. Captain America, Black Panther, Black Widow and Ant-Man were accounted for. Someone was missing and as soon as he realized who was missing Loki's eyes widened as he stood still and his arms dropped to his side.

In the excitement of trying to overpower their assailants none of them had noticed when the white car that Kingpin had hidden away in and another car right behind it sped away. Loki followed the cars with his eyes and as soon as they picked up the pace they both ran right past a lone and still figure in the middle of the road. Loki laid his eyes on the figure and raced towards it as soon as he saw who it was.

Loki knelt beside Jan and the first thing he noticed was that she was still alive, although unconscious. He looked over her once and found a rather pronounced bump on the side of her head. His first instinct was to conjure up healing magic to deal with the bump in her head but as he placed both hands over her head a loud screeching sound interrupted him.

A third car sped towards both of them and while Loki could jump out of the way in time Jan could not. Loki narrowed his eyes, slightly lifted the corner of his mouth and slowly stood up. His feral eyes set off a glow, subtle but were noticeable, energy surged through and over his arms as if electric green lightning was emitting from his body. The energy angrily danced over his arms as he slowly walked down the road and towards the rampaging car.

As the car sped forward the driver hit the pedal and picked up speed as the passenger stuck half of his body out and aimed a sub-machine gun right at Loki. Captain America had noticed the speeding car and where it was running to. At the sudden realization that Loki idly stood before the car and Jan he could not help but call out to the Asgardian, "No! Loki, get out of the way!"

Everything and everyone seemed to have gone quiet for that moment when Loki began to slowly walk towards the approaching car. As he slowly walked he kept his eyes on the approaching menace and drew up to his shoulders both arms, crossing them with his palms outward and his fingers bent as if resembling claws. As the car approached and was but a few meters from hitting Loki he lowered his arms as the energy of his magic surged wildly and a thin beam of green light went through the car.

As the beam made its way towards the back of the car the car split in half and as Loki's arms were now spread apart from him both halves of the car slammed violently into the adjacent buildings. The driver had tumbled about but was otherwise unharmed, however, the passenger who had stuck most of his body out of the window had been pinned between the car and the building causing his body to literally split in half on the inside killing the assailant.

The Avengers and their attackers had stopped to gaze at the sight before them. Shock and terror washed over their faces as Loki slowly turned his seething gaze upon the remaining assailants. One of the men gasped loudly and broke from Iron Man's grasp and ran as fast as he could. As the energy kept crackling and dancing over, inside and under Loki's arms he narrowed his eyes further as both ends of his mouth lifted baring his teeth like a wild, rabid dog.

Thor was the only Avenger who just stood still and smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest. He inhaled deeply and also narrowed his eyes as he looked at his younger brother. Wildness crept in Thor's eyes, one Iron Man saw and felt a cold chill wrap itself on his spine. The smile on Thor's face was practically identical to Loki's and Iron Man wondered who had formed it first. Still, it was unsettling to see that look on Thor's face and while Iron Man chucked it up to Thor's barbarian warrior side he still could not help but feel uneasy.

What Iron Man did not comprehend was that Thor was looking at his brother with pride. It was a rare sight to see Loki actually invest himself into a fight as he had just done. It was an even rarer sight to see Loki place himself in harm's way to protect someone that was not Thor as he did over a month ago and so many centuries ago.

Loki locked on to the assailants and looked over the Avengers and saw some of them bruised and hurt and it fueled his rage further. He turned his body towards the assailants and closed his eyes. All assailants in the area began to glow green and were now hovering about a yard over the ground. As they screamed and pleaded for mercy their screams were slowly fading as their bodies turned to stone.

As the stone bodies hovered and Loki kept his eyes shut Ant-Man rushed over to Jan to see if she was all right. Loki then opened his eyes and the stone bodies fell and shattered as they hit the ground turning the once living bodies into fine dust. As Loki looked around him he then turned his attention to the man who had been driving the car.

In a moment of panic the assailant reached to his side and pulled out a gun and aimed it at Loki. While the Avengers called out to Loki to be careful the Asgardian sorcerer kept walking towards the assailant who aimed his shaking weapon at Loki. Before he could pull the trigger the gun had turned into water and splashed over the wreck that was once a car.

As the man began to panic Loki grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him out of the wreck and held him up high above his head, definitely proving that besides his small frame he was very strong. As Loki gazed at the assailant he let go of the man but instead of hitting the ground the asphalt below the man had been altered and thin and crooked hands emerged from it and grasped themselves tightly around the man's throat.

"Where is he?" The voice emitting from Loki was almost that of a snarl, which suited his current appearance of a wild and rabid dog. The man hesitated and said he did not know where the Kingpin was. This made Loki tighten the asphalt hands around his neck harder until the assailant's face went red and his eyes roll to the back of his head.

"Sport!" Iron Man called out and as if by some unknown force Loki's feral and hostile features suddenly vanished. Loki blinked his eyes a few times and turned to look at Iron Man. Loki furrowed his brows and let out a sigh as the green energy faded away. As the magic disappeared the asphalt hands did as well and when the assailant dropped to the ground he quickly got back up and ran away.

Loki looked on as the assailant ran away and as he vanished into the night he quickly turned back to Jan to see to her injuries. Ant-Man had been examining her but as soon as Loki knelt beside her he retracted a little to let Loki do his work. Loki placed both hands over her head and a soft pastel green glow covered Jan's entire body. After a couple of second Jan's eyes opened wide and fluttered her eyelids as she looked at her teammates who had surrounded her.

"Did anyone get the number of that truck?" Jan asked in a joking manner as she slowly sat up. As soon as she was sitting up Loki grasped her in a hug which surprised her and the rest of the group. Jan returned the hug and Ant-Man placed a hand on Loki's shoulder and said, "Thanks, Loki." Loki in turn grabbed Ant-Man's hand and the same healing glow enveloped itself around Ant-Man and his injuries vanished.

A subtle sob escaped from Loki and Jan tightened her hug reassuring him that she was all right. As he kept hugging her he muttered under his breath which caused Jan's eyes to go wide in surprise and a warm smile formed on her face. The same pastel green glow enveloped itself over the rest of the Avengers and they all sighed with relief as the injuries vanished and a calm and cool sensation washed over their bodies.

"Well, no sense in standing around. Fury's in the area. We should get him to help us track Kingpin down." Black Widow said as she looked at the group and the group nodded in agreement. For the time being the Kingpin could consider himself the victor but it was not to last.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

They had returned to the helicarrier that floated above the city of Detroit hoping to use satellites to track down the Kingpin's escape car. Tony had logged into his system the warehouse's coordinates and with them they would be able to lock into a satellite and get video feedback.

On the ride back Loki had been quiet, lost in a pensive state as he looked over the Avengers. A thought occurred to him and while he was determined to carry it out he knew he would have to wait to find out where the Kingpin had been hiding. It was at that moment he cursed under his breath. Tony had told them all to leave the one crystal they had in their position in the mansion, which, could have been used to track down the second one. It would have been easier since that crystal was closer than before and he doubted the Kingpin would have escaped the city. If anything he was sure the man was hiding somewhere in the city, seeking shelter in the city he so foolishly thought he had under his thumb.

Once at the helicarrier Loki let everyone else leave the jet first and watched their movements. He made sure none of them limped or had any visible bruises. As he watched them he remembered what he had muttered when he had hugged Jan and while he felt no shame in what he had said he felt raw and exposed.

As Loki walked he lowered his gaze as he crossed his arms. Lost in his thoughts, thinking of the injuries they had been exposed to and the terror of any of them getting killed needlessly because of a mess he created, a problem he had set forth and was now burdening his brother and his friends with. He seemed to be good at that. Causing trouble and then having others clean up his messes for him but he was determined to clean up this mess no matter what and if he had no other choice but to turn himself in to Karnilla he would do so.

A set of fingers crawled under his hair and gently scratched his scalp. He loved that sensation and knew of only one person who knew exactly what spots made him shake his leg like a puppy so it was no surprise to him when he lifted his gaze, turned to his side and saw Thor happily walking beside him as he scratched him.

Thor had that warm smile that made him all the more lovable displayed for the world to see but mostly for him and it made Loki smile as well. Ocean blue eyes so proudly and lovingly scanning every part of him and while it made him feel a little flushed he enjoyed it. It was as if Thor was twelve years old and Loki was eight once more and his older brother looked after him and paid attention to him.

Loki was not ever going to admit it out loud but he relished that sort of attention. It was far deeper than making his enemies or those he considered less than himself kneel before him and tremble in fear. Sure, it gave him a sense of rush and importance but at the realization that what he was feeling at the moment surpassed even that, well, he did not have a problem with it at all.

The group walked towards the inside of the helicarrier and Loki and the rest of them, safe for Natasha and Clint, wondered if this was the same helicarrier that was almost destroyed or if SHIELD had an arsenal of them at their disposal. Neither would surprise them but they still wondered.

Loki sighed as he walked among the Avengers and felt the cold stare of SHIELD operatives staring, not in surprise or dismissively but scowling at him. He felt every narrow eye piercing through him like needles. At any other moment he would have felt the need to hide inside himself and shut his mind to the current situation but he kept his mind at ease as he felt Thor wrap one of his massive arms around his shoulders and draw him closer to himself. It was also reassuring how the rest of the group seemed to have slowed their pace down and formed a circle around him, some making contact with him, if only slightly. Both corners of Loki's mouth lifted slightly as he analyzed their actions and drew his attention to the warmth in the pit of his stomach. It was a great sensation and he reveled in the fact that the cold in his stomach which had made itself a home in him for thousands of years had vanished.

Eventually they made their way to the command center where Fury and Hill stood in the middle going over some documents. Fury handed the documents to Hill and the woman dismissed herself. As she walked away, obviously with orders from the director, she turned her eyes to Loki and he turned his towards her. More cold and distant eyes, it felt worse than being scowled or disciplined. As his focus on the agent blurred out he heard the director's loud and strong voice but he kept staring in the direction of the door Hill had left through. His mind was blank but his eyes held within him every emotion his face and body did not display.

Once again fingers crawled under his hair and finger nails gently scratched behind his ear. A smaller hand had placed itself on his upper right arm and as he looked he saw Jan's hand. She was looking at the director and paying attention though his conversation was more between him and Tony but the group paid close attention. Bruce had idly taken three steps back and was now about two to three inches in front of Loki. Had they noticed his distemper? How?

Loki then looked down at his booted feet and noticed his hands fidgeting at his sides. He did that. That and several other things like pacing when he was nervous or uncomfortable but the fidgeting was the most obvious, they had seen it when they interacted with him over a year ago. But was it so obvious that Jan and Bruce noticed even while barely paying attention to him? He could understand Thor knowing by instinct. He was very well aware of Thor knowing every little mania he had as he knew all of Thor's but these mortals behaved as Thor did.

Fury and Tony's conversation turned technical and as much as Loki had learned in a few short weeks he was still not up to par with the knowledge Tony or Bruce or Hank possessed. If his mind were at ease he would have been paying very close attention to every word that had been exchanged between the two men but at the moment it just so happened that his entire mind was uneasy and not focusing on anything in particular.

Tony lowered his tone and slightly turned his head towards the group but to Loki it seemed like Tony was looking straight at him. How he wished he could read lips. Fury then followed suit and stared directly at the group as well. There was no emotion or reaction from the director but it still made Loki feel uncomfortable, judged and dissected.

"Loki," Loki's mind focused once more as a soft toned voice called out his name. He focused on Natasha as she dug deep into his eyes searching for something. Comfort? A form of reassurance? Perhaps it was both. "Come on. These two are gonna be a while. They're tracking the car."

Natasha walked slowly towards the same direction of the door Hill had walked through and Loki's stomach tightened as the tense knots squeezed themselves. Natasha punched in a set of numbers on the keypad next to the door and as a hissing sound was emitted from the door it slid open and the tension in Loki's stomach made its way to his shoulders but he continued to follow Natasha while Clint and Jan followed him.

There was a long hallway but instead of walking on Natasha quickly made a right turn and punched in more numbers on a different keypad attached to a different door. As it opened Loki laid his eyes on a small room fitted with two sofas, a small coffee table and some papers idly placed upon the table. The room was small and it had the feeling of a waiting room with the exception of magazines, pictures on the wall and some plants for decoration. In front of one of the sofas was a wall sized window that overlooked the center that they had just been in. Loki could see several agents walking through, some with documents while others chatted with each other. He could also see his brother speaking with Bruce and the rest of the team. Further ahead he saw Tony and Fury working with some computer screens most likely tracking down the Kingpin.

"Feel better?" Natasha asked as she sat down on one of the sofas, Clint sitting beside her and Jan taking a spot on the other sofa as both could only seat two people at a time. Loki nodded; it was an empty nod as he looked around the room and took in every detail. It was a small room and while he had no preference to either small or spacious rooms he felt a bit calmer and the tension in his stomach slowly diminished.

"C'mon sport, have a seat." Jan said as she smiled.

Loki drew in a deep breath and let every ounce of tension out of his body as he exhaled. He quietly made his way across the room and sat down next to Jan. She had not addressed him as "sport" before but it was just as calming as when Tony, Bruce, Hank or Steve did it. It felt like a cool balm on burnt flesh.

"You looked a little tense back there. Thought maybe prying you away from the rest of the crowd would calm you down." Natasha confessed as she looked at him.

Loki remained quiet, taken aback that they had noticed his tension when he himself had not really acknowledged it. He was aware that the prying eyes, as Natasha said, of the rest of the occupants of the helicarrier had made him uncomfortable but he had failed to notice just how uncomfortable he had been.

"Hey, don't worry so much. Sure, they're kind of giving you the evil eye and it might take some time for a lot of people to come to terms with you being here with us but they'll come around. You'll see." Clint said while Natasha and Jan nodded.

"I know." Loki finally answered.

"Well, I've got a feeling there is a lunch room around here or a kitchen or something with food or snacks in it. I'm gonna search for it. I'll be back in a few minutes." Jan cheerily said as she stood up and headed out of the room. Clint volunteered to go with her since he knew she would get lost and he was particular when it came to his snacks.

Natasha looked over at Loki as Clint left, he seemed out of his element and concerned but most of all he seemed uncomfortable though she was not going to blame him. She had noticed the looks the other people gave him and she was certain those same piercing looks had been haunting him his entire life by the way he tried to conceal himself from them and the fidgeting.

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"So you thought it was a good idea to just pick someone from our database and go in without really reading through the database?" Fury asked as he looked to Tony.

"Uh—well, sort of." Tony answered.

"That was stupid!"

"Loki warned him but he wouldn't listen." Hank just had to take that opportunity to both burn Tony for his mistake and to get a laugh. The rest of the team laughed as well however the director remained stoic and expressionless to the ordeal.

"With the exception of Thor, because we already know _his_ answer, what happens after you get the crystals returned to their rightful owner?"

"Well, we carry on as usual." Bruce answered before Tony could.

"Let me rephrase that question. What will happen with little brother? There is no way in hell he'll be able to run around in the general populace without someone trying to either kill him or assault him for what he did back in New York."

"So far he's been more than okay staying within the mansion and let's be honest he knows what you're implying very well. Only times he left the mansion were with us in a group. He'll be fine." Tony said, he sounded sincere and sure of what he was answering but a part of him seemed to question it.

"There are forgiving people out there. Hell, we forgave him, even Clint did. We just need to remain positive." Steve, ever so cheerful and full of pep Steve, answered. His wide smile made the rest of the team feel at ease and confident with their decisions.

"Well, as long as you know what you're doing." Fury said as he pointed to the small room that Jan, Natasha and Clint had taken Loki to so he could feel more at ease. Apparently Loki had turned Clint into a small dog and Clint was now gnawing at his sleeves, Jan was laughing and Natasha was trying to restrain both Loki and Clint while she laughed.

Tony gathered Loki had done so because Clint teased him. Ever since both of them had sat down and spoke Clint took to either joining him and Jan in pranks or teasing Loki, all in good fun and Loki never seemed aggravated by it for he knew Clint meant no offense in it.

The group looked on and watched as Clint managed to pull Loki right off the sofa and was now pulling on his hair while Loki tried to push him away. All the while Jan and Natasha had given up trying to pull them apart and just watched them as they laughed. Clint was then shoved aside but rather than giving up he licked the side of Loki's face while Loki screamed loudly and Jan and Natasha laughed even more.

Steve chuckled as he crossed his arms and looked on while Tony placed a hand on the director's shoulder and said in a teasing tone, "Oh, don't worry, dear. We know what we're doing."

Tracking the car was a tad more difficult to do, which surprised Tony seeing as how SHIELD had an unlimited amount of resources. Still, he knew Kingpin was not going to leave the state much less the city but he was feeling restless. He wanted the crystals all found so they could go back to their "normal" lives with their newest addition.

As Tony watched the screen the rest of the group had gone into the small room where Jan, Natasha, Clint, who had been turned back into a human and Loki were waiting for news of the car.

Tony had turned around to see Thor and Steve slowly walking towards the room but before the thunderer could get far Tony walked up to him and stopped him. There was a nagging question in the back of his head and he needed to clear his mind of said question.

"Thor, I have to know. Back in New York, a year ago, sure the aliens put up a pretty good fight but despite everything I sort of feel like your brother wasn't—was he giving 100% back then? Because what we saw tonight was…unnerving."

"You are referring to his power, are you not?" Thor asked and Tony could not help but notice a bit of a smirk on the elder god.

"Yes, I am." As Tony answered Steve looked on also wanting to hear what Thor would have to say.

"No. His heart was not in the battle. In fact, only two people have been privy to watching my brother unleash his full power, his full potential of his magical abilities. I who stand before you and one whose very body and soul no longer exists in any plane, realm or location. Everything you have bared witness to has not been the peak of what Loki can do once he has completely unleashed himself. Admittedly, tonight's display was more than what he gave back in New York."

With that Thor gave Tony and Steve a devilish smile and walked on to join Loki and the rest of the team. Tony and Steve were left behind with mouths agape and eyes wide.

"Well," Tony started, "thank God he's with us now."

"Yeah." Steve said as he watched Loki in the room. A year ago he did fear him although he tried his hardest not to show any signs of it but before tonight his fear of him had gone along with resentment. If there was one thing that distinguished Steve from the rest of the group was that he did not grow to hate Loki. He merely resented the acts of which the younger god had been a guilty party to. Tonight as he watched his now ally he felt a bit of that fear growing back.

Steve tried to push it back shamefully admitting that the reason for the fear to sprout once more was due to the fact that if a year ago this god was not giving his all in the battle he was afraid to find out what the god of mischief was actually capable of. This was accentuated by Thor's behavior. As he looked at Thor walking away he noticed a steady step, his bearded chin held high and shoulders straight. Was it pride? Still, Steve shook any negativity. Had Loki intended them any harm he would not have risked his life saving his brother or Jan. He would not have participated in the fight against the Kingpin's assailants either. His train of thought was suddenly cut short by Tony.

"Let's…try not to piss off baby brother."

"Oh, definitely." Steve quickly retorted as they both began to walk back to the group. There was nothing they could do at the moment so indulging in some snacks and coffee was the best thing they could do at the moment.

As the three men entered the room they were greeted by the rest of the group and there they remained for a few minutes. Twenty-one minutes to be exact. An agent rushed into the room and informed them that the director wanted to see them. Each of them eagerly stood and followed the agent with high hopes that the car had been tracked and was now found. Loki was even more eager. He wanted this problem to be solved as soon as possible; he wanted this situation to go away lest it brings more aches to his brother and to his friends. Friends that he wished would not have to endure injury nor risk their lives over a situation he created and for this he felt genuine remorse and guilt.

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"You need to tell me what went wrong. How did this guy manage to walk around sounding and looking like the Vulture when the actual Vulture is sitting in one of SHIELD's playpens?!" Kingpin's voice was raspy. He had been yelling at his crew for a while, more specifically at Jigsaw. The Kingpin's massive body wracked in angry tremors as he remembered how the price for the unusual yet useless crystal had skyrocketed to amounts he never even dreamed of reaching. His first reaction was to throw the crystal into the river that flowed by the city but he had to admit that the Avengers showing up and showing a particular interest in the crystal was odd enough for him not to have thrown the crystal away.

"The money from that crystal was going to rocket us up the food chain! No more gangster sub-mafia acts for us—but no, your gross incompetence had to get in the way of our goals!" Kingpin yelled as he pointed at his gathered men.

All of them either looked down or straight at him but Jigsaw stood defiant in the face of accusation. He balled up his fists turning his knuckles white as he suppressed his anger. Jigsaw hated when things went awry but more specifically he hated being pointed out and scolded as if he was no more than a mere spit of a child. He furrowed his brow, narrowed his eyes and listened but more specifically he let the gears in his mind tick away as he formulated different scenarios in which to put the Avengers in as payback for the mishap which now bellowed and pointed at him.

"How about you stop yelling like a little girl who had her pigtails yanked and formulate a plan?" Jigsaw dared to belittle the angry Kingpin. The men behind Jigsaw gasped and shifted about in their feet.

"How dare you…"

"If the Avengers have shown interest in this crystal perhaps it's safe to assume they'll be back and this time around they may push ever harder to get their hands on the crystal. We all know you won't be leaving the city. First of all everyone knows you are far too stubborn to run away with your tail between your legs and second you have nowhere to run away to." Jigsaw said as he firmly looked at Kingpin. His intentions were to set forth a plan not to insult although his manner of speaking and the chosen words could have been said to have been better worded but he went forth. "They _will_ be back and we must be ready for them!"

Kingpin remained silent and watchful. In his mind he knew Jigsaw was right and as much as he wanted to put a bullet in his head he had to admit that Jigsaw had the expertise and the knowhow to prevent the Avengers from walking away with his meal ticket. The massive man placed both hands behind his back and slowly walked up to Jigsaw.

The group of men behind Jigsaw took a step back but watched on as the massive criminal stood next to Jigsaw and said in a low voice, "Gather your best men, I want the best to be there when these latex sportin' clowns show up at my front door to take them out." Kingpin grabbed Jigsaw by the nape of his neck and drew him closer to him as he began to scream into his ear, "And by 'take them out' I mean _kill them_!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Note:****  
**So sorry for the gap between chapters. I had a bad case of writer's block but I cannot blame it all on the block because I admit I was horribly addicted to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which I bought about two weeks ago and have been putting in far too many hours on it and have also found that I've been drawing a lot too.

So now that my writer's block is gone and I am on vacation for two weeks I'll be able to keep writing some more and hopefully a month will not go by for the next chapter. Next chapter will have Pepper come over to the California house.

By the way, thank you guys so much for the lovely reviews, the watches and the favorites! You guys are the best and your reviews really help motivate me.

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**Chapter 14:**

Headquarters for the Kingpin was a small office building in which he also conducted his nefarious affairs but also tried to double it as a legitimate business as he often did back in New York. Unfortunately the rule of "do not shit where you eat" had been broken in this case as he had to start from scratch after his latest downfall at the hands of DareDevil.

Kingpin had recruited Jigsaw for his demeanor and way of handling situations. Despite his anger earlier in the evening he was sure Jigsaw would apply himself to the current situation. Yet he still wondered why the Avengers showed so much interest in the crystal, as far as he was concerned the damned thing was nothing more than a pretty object to look at.

Jigsaw had every intention of making sure none of the Avengers would succeed this time. Of course, it would have been foolish to say they had succeeded but the Kingpin's auction had been ruined and it would have been a while before Kingpin could rise out of hiding much less move the crystal. He had followed the Kingpin's orders to the letter. He gathered his best men, dove into the weapons depot and armed themselves with heavy caliber weapons.

Two of his men returned and explained that the Hulk was present indeed as was Thor but what he was concerned with was that tall and dark new addition the Avengers walked around with. Jigsaw had pulled the security tapes from the area and carefully watched. He laid his eyes on the Hulk and on the thunderer and while both were dangerous on their own together they would be a massive threat to them. His nerves were shaken when he noticed and analyzed the unknown man accompanying the Avengers.

He fought alongside them, seemed to use magic, although the idea of magic existing made him call himself a fool for believing in fairytales but there was no other explanation for the energy emitting from the man.

The other event he made a point of was that unlike the Avengers this man had no quarrel with killing some of the men. When he slammed one half of the car into the wall it had crushed the man holding the gun and the bodies who had been turned to stone and were now dust on the ground was also a testament to that.

Jigsaw made a note to make sure extra precautions were taken to deal with this one individual. All the power of the thunderer, all the rage of the Hulk, all the need to show off his abilities like Iron Man but also the ability to shred the delicate fabric of morality and kill just like the Black Widow and Hawkeye would.

As he stared into the screen and watched the security tapes he was falling more and more into the video and hardly noticed when a grunt entered the room and after a few minutes the man cleared his throat and said, "Sir, all preparations are complete. The men are all in place, armed and ready."

Jigsaw waved the grunt away silently but never removed his eyes from the screen. The grunt nodded and removed himself from the room to join the others. They had sixteen floors to cover including the basement and the roof of the building.

Jigsaw made sure there were at least nine men in each floor but kept the last floor, Kingpin's office, overflowing with armed men. If there was to be an invasion in the building they would need to start at the first floor and make their way past hordes of armed men and somehow make it to the last floor.

The Avengers were sure to make it there was no question about it and Jigsaw had no fantasies about conquering the Avengers but there was no way they would walk in without alerting the guards and while the full force of Kingpin's men would fall on the heroes they were sure to be preoccupied long enough to give both Kingpin and Jigsaw enough time to escape from the building.

Jigsaw's plan and actions were solid, for any other occasion that did not involve two very trained and very talented SHIELD agents who had had their fair share of break ins. Natasha took the reins this time and suggested they break into the medical building next to Kingpin's building.

The medical building had about four extra floors so landing the Quinjet on the roof did not give their presence away.

"This plan has three stages," Natasha explained as she slowly paced the room. They had gone down to the fourteenth floor of the medical building which was adjacent to the fourteenth floor of Kingpin's building. "First stage requires stealth and that will involve T'Challa, Jan, Loki and myself."

At the mention of his name Loki looked at Natasha curiously. Of course he was within the group and participating to rectify his latest mistake but it still felt odd. It felt odd to be so enthusiastically involved into their plans not to mention given an important role. Stealth was no joke and it certainly was no easy task either. As stoic and serious and attentive as Loki was on the outside he dared to admit he felt a sense of glee to have been given such a task.

"The four of us will sneak into the building, Loki we'll need you to teleport us into the fourteenth floor. As soon as we get there T'Challa will disable the elevators, Loki, we'll need use of your talents, you need to find the stairs and block the way, we can't have the rest of Kingpin's men coming up from behind us. Besides that we need to silently disable the guards as well. We'll need to move quickly, chances are they may have cameras set up in the building though I doubt their security system is any good much less advanced. Top priority will be silence to buy T'Challa and Loki enough time for them to do their job. After those two things happen all hell can break loose for all I care. "

Now Loki felt giddy. Natasha's way of mentioning his magic held no ill in it. Not like Sif or the Warriors Three did whenever they had been sent out to deal with a problem. They often regarded his abilities as mere trickery and while Loki was fond of tricks, illusions and such the way they worded and accentuated their words often left Loki feeling as if he was of no use to the group and was only there because of Thor and Odin's sway.

No, this group had actual use of him, actually acknowledged the fact that his talents were needed and that it was regarded with respect. The more he compared these mortals to the people he had grown up with the more he laughed at the situation and the irony of it all. He abhorred the fact that he had been compared to Thor his entire life yet there he was comparing Asgard's population to these mortals who he had once thought of as below him.

"That's stage one. Stage two will find us all pushing forward towards the last floor to reach the Kingpin. If they have doubled their guard, which I _know_ they have, they'll have most of the men in Kingpin's floor and the floor below that. They'll try to go for another escape and that is where Hulk and Thor come in. Both of you will drop down to the roof of the building and crash and smash your way into the building while we push up and Kingpin will have nowhere to go. Only do so _after_ Clint has given you boys the okay which will be as soon as Clint sees Kingpin's men scrambling about trying to subdue us."

The plan was simple as far as anything Natasha had ever concocted but simple was not always a bad thing. They were dealing with mob bosses and street gangs, not terrorists or "masters of evil" as Tony often jerked about when making fun of certain villains. Natasha felt good about the plan and as she continued to discuss it she actually began to smile.

"While he stays here, Clint will give assistance as well and Hank will have the Quinjet protected and ready for takeoff while we process stage three. We grab the crystal and disappear into the night while calling in Fury to let the cops handle these worms. Everyone understands what they have to do?"

The group nodded in an excited outburst and Natasha's smile grew. She then turned to the quiet and thoughtful Loki and gestured for him to stand. Once he was near her Natasha, T'Challa and Jan stood near Loki.

"Whenever you're ready, Loki." Natasha said as she looked right at Loki. A deadly menace and presence shun in her eyes and he became aware that she enjoyed being in that stage. That moment before waves came crashing into the rocks, the moment a tornado hit the ground, those seconds before a volcano erupted. He knew that calm fierce all too well because that warped calm swam in his eyes as well. As their eyes remained locked onto each other the zapping sound of Loki's magic had crushed the silence and sent a crashing dose of adrenaline through their bodies. It was as if the zapping sound was a firing pistol and their cool and calm exteriors had melted away to let the caged and furious rush out.

Teleporting was an experience none of them had ever been prepared for. It felt as if they were running and falling at the same time. Their bodies were not agitated in any way yet it felt as if they were pushing their bodies to the extreme lengths of their limits. It had only taken a second as Black Panther blinked and while his eyelids met in the middle they had been teleported and as his eyelids separated he was standing in the middle of the fourteenth floor of Kingpin's building.

Black Panther took a deep breath as he gathered himself while recuperating from the experience of having been teleported by magic. As he began to focus he saw a flash of bright green light zoom past his face. As he followed the light he saw it burst as it hit a man who had seen them and was running towards them while aiming a weapon at them. As Black Panther felt the high concentration of carbon dioxide run out of his nose his unfocused eyes followed a blurred figure running after another figure. As everything came back into focus Black Panther heard the pained groans of several men and a humming droning sound emitting from the Norse god as he placed both glowing hands together completing part of his job.

Black Panther snapped back into action and ran to the end of the hallway. As he reached the end he bumped into an armed man but before that man could even realize what was about to happen Black Panther slammed his elbow into the side of the guard's neck and the man dropped into unconsciousness. Black Panther raised his head and looked to the right and saw the elevator doors. He sprung towards the elevators to cut them off.

It was brutish and simple but Black Panther decided there was no time for showing off as he often liked to do in front of Tony. He was neither boisterous nor obvious about it but he indulged in friendly rivalries with Tony since the millionaire loved to belittle others with his knowledge and whenever Black Panther left the millionaire speechless, though only for a second, he considered it a victory and Black Panther knew Bruce and Hank also indulged in the victories.

Black Panther removed one of his vibranium blades and jammed it between the elevator doors and pushed down on the handle of the blade causing the doors to part. Luckily the elevator seemed to have stopped three floors below so he swiftly leapt and grabbed one of the cable lines.

Wasp had shrunk and had taken to the air, her small size and her stingers were perfect for the current task. She rapidly flapped her wings and zip lined through the air while stinging guard after guard, successfully taking them out before they could even realize she was around.

Black Widow moved with the fines of a wild cat as it stalked its prey in the jungle. She used several techniques to quietly and rapidly take out the guards. Most of the guards had been taken down without them noticing her but the few that had the misfortune of coming face to face with the assassin had caught glimpses of fiery red hair twirling as a fist, elbow, knee of foot knocked them out.

Stage one was successful. Loki had managed to create a type of force field on every window and the stair cases. Black Panther managed to cut away at the lines rendering the only elevator in the building useless. The Black Panther hung on to one of the cut cables and began to push and pull his body until he was swinging in midair. He pushed and pulled further until he managed to touch the wall with his feet and as he propelled himself with his feet he saw a guard walking right past the elevator doors. Black Panther and the guard locked their eyes on one another and as the guard drew his weapon Black Panther swung at full speed and power towards the guard and as soon as he was close to the doors he let go of the cable and kept his head down as he brought up his left shoulder forward. With the full force of the momentum Black Panther's shoulder connected with the guard and pushed him towards the wall. As soon as the guard hit the wall the back of his head hit the wall and the guard blacked out.

Black Panther stood still as he watched the guard in case he would awaken but after a few minutes a shrieking alarm drowned the entire building. Black Panther looked around frantically, he knew this was bound to happen but he felt it had been too soon and hoped that Loki had been able to finish his task as he had finished his. Despite that one moment of doubt Black Panther ran across the hallway to find the rest of the team. He was well aware that a wave of guards would soon come crashing down on them and it would certainly be better if they were all together to push them back.

"Show time." Clint's voice barked with a tone of awareness. Natasha nodded as she looked outside of the window. Clint acknowledged the nod and looked to the Hulk and Thor as both rushed on with their tasks. Thor swung his hammer and took to the sky, the Hulk leapt and grasped his massive hands on the edge of the building and as he pulled himself up he saw Thor swinging away at heavily armed guards. The Hulk let out a massive guttural roar which gathered the undivided attention of the guards. Several gasps were heard and while they were busy running from the Hulk Thor stood tall and lifted his hammer as high as he could. Lightning raced down and hit the hammer and as it did Thor swung the hammer and the collected lightning spread out and hit the guards rendering most unconscious. The ones Thor was not able to get were taken out by the Hulk.

The guards down in the rest of the floors were stranded due to the elevator not responding and a strange green like force keeping them from reaching the higher levels. A group of them went outside to try the fire escape but found it had been blocked as well. One of the men grabbed a walkie-talkie and said, "We have a situation! The elevator doesn't work and the stairs and fire escape are blocked! The Avengers are inside the building!"

"One of them is inside the building next door!" Came a voice plastered with panic from the walkie-talkie and the man gathered a large group to take out the Avenger in the medical building.

The group of guards broke into the building completely ignoring the alarm that was blasting loudly. The situation had gotten out of control for the Kingpin's men and worrying about an alarm at the moment was not in the agenda.

Clint fired another arrow and hit a guard that was about to trample on a downed Wasp. Clint smirked but frowned as he heard a second alarm going off and figured he had been compromised. "Uh, guys, we have a situation over here! They broke into the medical building!" Clint said as he held two fingers to the communication device Tony had supplied to each of them sometime after the team had been formed.

Clint was about to repeat his former message but was cut short when a blaze of bullets broke through the door and the wall. Clint let go of the bow and dropped to the floor as low as he could. The loud sound of several AK-47s going off at the same time was almost deafening and no matter how accurate he was there was no way he was able to take them all out much less see through the wall.

"Guys, I need help!" Clint frantically called out over the communications device.

Iron Man and Captain America had then been teleported by Loki into the building after the alarm had gone off. The Captain had run off to assist in breaking into Kingpin's floor while Iron Man and Loki cleaned up after them to make sure none of the downed guards could ambush the others. Loki had also been given one of the communication devices and heard Clint as well as Iron Man.

"Tweety's in trouble. Let's go, sport!" Iron Man said as he looked towards Loki and Loki nodded as he grabbed Iron Man's shoulder and both teleported to the building where Clint was. As soon as Iron Man and Loki materialized Loki put up a shield and waited for Iron Man to give the signal. The armed guards would eventually need to reload and when they needed to they would be able to counterattack.

As the blast from the rifles ceased Loki let the shield down and both he and Iron Man raised their right arms towards the wall. A hot white light blasted from Iron Man's arm and a green blast of magical energy blasted from Loki's arm. Both beams started in the middle, the door, and slowly moved in the opposite direction causing a tear on the wall. After they were sure all of them guards were down Iron Man turned to Clint and helped him up.

"You all right, Tweety?" Iron Man said as he chuckled. Loki did not understand the reference so he remained quiet coughing as a gas from a bunch of containers from the room they were in had been shot.

Black Widow, Captain America, Wasp and Black Panther reached the floor where the Kingpin was and Black Widow had been correct in assuming that floor in particular would be heavily guarded. The guards in that floor had been heavily armed with assault rifles and heavy armor. As the guards stared down at the Avengers they rushed forward but the Avengers did as well. Black Panther used his vibranium knives on some of the guards while engaging some in hand to hand as did Black Widow and Captain America while using his shield to keep some of them at bay. Wasp flew above them and zapped as many as she could.

Despite their best efforts the guards had been well armored and most of the hits had been watered down. Soon the Avengers found themselves overpowered. Wasp had been snatched from the air and thrown against a wall, Black Panther throw one of his legs high and tried to hit one of the guards but the guard grabbed his leg with both hands and delivered a powerful kick of his own to Black Panther's thigh sending the warrior to the floor. Black Widow had managed to take down two guards before she had been grabbed from behind by one guard and helplessly watched as another guard in front of her pulled a fist armed with brass knuckles back.

Before the guard could land his fist Mjolnir came flying into the hall they were currently in and as it flew at top speed the hammer managed to tackle several guards and one of the guards had been the one that was about to punch Black Widow. As the guard that was holding Black Widow was distracted she lowered herself by crouching and managed to jump. She was still being held onto by the guard but as she jumped the guard lost his balance and when the full force of Black Widow's body came back down she managed to break free and quickly grabbed one of his arms over her shoulders and as her feet touched the ground she used the momentum to flip the guard over her. As the man groaned when he hit his back on the floor Black Widow landed a swift kick to the man's head rendering him incapacitated.

As Black Widow gathered herself a guard had been tossed against the wall behind her and when she looked forward she saw the Hulk roaring and Thor standing beside him. The rest of the team stood back up and met up with Thor and Hulk.

"Where are Iron Man and my brother?" Thor asked as he looked at the group. He knew he should not sound so worried as his brother proved time and time again that he was more than capable of taking care of himself but he could not help it. He finally had his brother back, both at peace with each other and Thor planned to keep it that way.

"Hawkeye was in trouble and he stopped communicating, my guess is Iron Man and Loki went to help him." Black Widow said hesitantly. "We have to keep going. Hulk, stand guard at the stairs and make sure none of them get through."

Hulk grunted loudly and took a stand in front of the stairs in order to block any of Kingpin's men from passing. Thor and Hulk found a small helicopter on the roof of the building and they guessed it was how Kingpin would have made his escape but Thor and Hulk made sure that helicopter would never fly again.

Black Widow and the rest ran down the hallway towards the double doors at the end. Thor and Wasp took to the air as two massive guards standing by the doors took a stand and squared off. Both Wasp and Thor blasted at the guards and were successfully taken down. The Avengers burst through but were soon face to face with a plethora of guards armed to the teeth with machine guns. At the end of the room Jigsaw stood next to Kingpin while both aimed AK-47s with extended magazines at the Avengers. On the desk Captain America spotted the crystal.

In the blink of an eye the Avengers and the guards ran towards each other as they roared and growled with anticipation. Both Captain America and Black Widow rushed through the guards to reach Jigsaw and Kingpin. The Captain tossed his shield and hit Kingpin as the shield made contact with the gangster's massive body he dropped his weapon as he hit the wall behind him and Captain America did not lose any time in trying to subdue him. It was not going to be easy. Despite his size Captain America soon found the Kingpin knew how to move fast and effectively landing blow after blow on the Avenger.

Black Widow drew her gun and pulled the trigger but as the gun clicked it came up empty but instead of panicking she threw the gun at Jigsaw before he could pull the trigger and hit him on the side of the face making the disfigured man haunch over holding his weapon with one hand and holding his face with the other. Black Widow raced towards Jigsaw and as she ran one of the guards had fallen over in front of her so she climb on top of him and jump landing on the desk and used the force of gravity to once again jump and stretched her legs forward and her upper body back. With the full force of the speed she landed both feet on Jigsaw's solar plexus and his body flew back until he hit the wall and then the floor. As she looked at Jigsaw she was positive he was out cold so she turned around and found the crystal still on the desk so she quickly grabbed it before anyone else could.

Captain America crouched and swung his shield using it to knock Kingpin off of his feet but the man jumped and connected a kick to the Captain's face. Captain America fell back but quickly rolled to his side as he saw Kingpin's foot hovering over him and as Kingpin's foot slammed against the floor the Captain managed to get back on his own two feet. The Captain tossed the shield at Kingpin and it connected but all that did was to disorient the man. Captain America took the opportunity and jumped up towards the massive chandelier in the middle of the room. Once he managed to get a good grasp on the chandelier he swung his legs forward and as his feet swung in front of him he let his hands go of the chandelier and managed to land both of his feet on the Kingpin's chest knocking the air out of the massive man and hitting his back and head hard against the ground.

Captain America looked around and saw at least two more guards trying to run away but he tossed the shield and when the shield hit their feet they fell back and no longer moved. The team breathed easily now that they had the crystal and Kingpin was down. Steve called Fury to let him know of the status of the mission and Natasha called Clint to see if he was all right.

"Clint, Kingpin is down and we have the crystal. What's your status?"

Natasha was met with silence, she called Clint once more but no one responded and a worrisome pang began to rise within the group.

"Clint, answer me. Stark, can you hear me? Loki, are you okay?"

When none of them answered Thor was the first to run out of the room while the rest followed. As soon as the Hulk saw the group run he chased them as well. Natasha ran as fast as her legs could carry her, Thor ran after her close by and Wasp flew as fast as she could. They all hoped nothing had happened to the three of them.

When Natasha finally came to the hallway where they had first begun they noticed a bunch of guards on the floor obviously unconscious and the wall of the room where Clint was in was full of bullet holes and as Natasha made her way across the sea of unconscious guards she swung the door open and looked on as her eyes widened and her eyebrows furrowed. As the rest of the team gathered behind Natasha they could barely believe what they were seeing.

When the guards had opened fire on the room they had hit a bunch of containers which expulsed gas which had made Loki cough but the longer they remained in the room the more they became intoxicated with the gas which turned out to be nitrous oxide. As the trio inhaled the gas they soon found themselves…under the influence of the gas and as a result they had all sat down on the floor, inhaling more from a tank that had not been damaged. Clint held a breathing mask up to his face as he took a deep breath and as soon as he lowered the mask he burst into laughter.

"Oh, my God, the whole room is spinning!...that is so freakin' awesome! Tony! Tony, try this!" Clint said as he continued to laugh.

Tony grabbed the mask and inhaled and when he handed it to Loki he giggled loudly and said, "Yours tastes better!"

"We're smelling from the same tank!" Clint said as he patted Tony on the back. Loki had also been subjected to the effects of the nitrous oxide and as the other two men he was laughing uncontrollably.

Natasha groaned loudly and planted her face in the middle of her palm while Jan had taken her phone out and recorded them in their joyful state to perhaps later use the material as blackmail.

"Loki, what is the meaning of this? We were worried." Thor scolded his brother as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hey, guys! How are you?" Clint called out.

"Oh, come on, brother. It's just a bit of fun." Loki said as he inhaled once more but was soon cut short as Clint grabbed the mask and inhaled some more while laughing.

"Don't worry I'm sure this might be legal." Tony said as he snickered, "This is some good stuff! I'll have Pep make a dentist appointment for me when this is all over."

"Indeed you Midgardians have some very fascinating contra—contrap—stuff!" Loki said as he laughed loudly and reached for the mask from Clint's hands and in turn Clint grabbed Loki's helmet and put it on his head.

Tony laughed as did Loki but the laughter turned louder as Clint pointed to the helmet on his head and said, "Check it out, you guys, I'm horny!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Natasha said as she tried very hard to suppress a smile but she found it was difficult. Jan and T'Challa were already laughing; the Hulk had found the laughter intoxicating and as the creature began to laugh he slowly morphed back into Bruce.

Natasha grabbed Loki by the arm and lifted him up, she did the same with Tony and then with Clint. As the laughing trio walked out of the door Loki grabbed Thor's helmet and put it on and yelled, "God of thunder!" Clint squared off at Loki and both pretended to be in a battle as Tony pretended to blast at them while the rest of the group pushed them on.

Needless to say the flight home was interesting as Loki, Clint and Tony continued with their nonsense and laughter but as soon as the effects were over Jan took the opportunity to show them what had happened since they claimed they had no memory of the events. Hank laughed uncontrollably since he had not been a witness to that event and while they figured Loki would have been angry or embarrassed he surprised the group by laughing as Jan showed him the video. It was an interesting end to an eventful night.


	15. Announcement

Uploading this to make two announcements!

1. The re-written version is now being uploaded; chapter 2 has already been uploaded tonight. I'll try to keep the updates in a weekly basis.

2. I had some comments stating that I should not delete this old version of the story and that it was fine as is. Tell you the truth, no. I found it lacking, found a huge plot hole, which has been fixed, and quite honestly the self-harm was really bothering me. I did the re-written version to remove the self-harm, to make it better and to make the story more fluid. I know some had a concern about the plot and character being changed but I assure you the plot is still the same, all of the characters from the old version are and will stay in the new version. Atonement 0.5 WILL remain the same, just making a few adjustments and adding more interaction between some characters notably Loki and Janet.

3. No, I will not be deleting this older version but it will not be updated as the updating will continue over at 0.5. This fanfiction was finished back at the start of this month so what I'm doing is making changes, editing and correcting. From here on out it will not have any halts due to not writing.


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